Newcastle United have been told to "gamble" on Arsenal flop Nicolas Pepe. The Gunners are understood to want to cash in on their £72million signing after a disappointing spell at The Emirates.
According to Calciomercato, the Gunners have placed a £25million asking price for the Ivory Coast international with Mikel Arteta happy to let the 26-year-old leave North London. The Magpies have been linked with a move for Pepe since the takeover went through but it's unclear whether any discussions between the two sides took place in January.
Pepe has netted 27 goals in 108 appearances for the Gunners but has made just five starts in the Premier League this campaign. The Winger's goal return is not too dissimilar from Magpies winger Allan Saint-Maximin who has 12 goals in 86 appearances in a black and white shirt.
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Former Leeds United front man Noel Whelan believes Newcastle could be the ideal place for Pepe to reignite his career. “He’s been a massive failure – that’s for sure,” he told Football Insider. "When you consider the money they paid for him, he’s been very average.
“It’s a really bad bit of business from Arsenal. If they can get £25million for him, they need to be taking it – even if it’s a massive loss. Teams will be reluctant to pay that sort of fee for an inconsistent player like Pepe, though. It may well be a loan-to-buy deal.
“He’s really not contributed enough. Whether the Premier League is too tough for him, I don’t know – we know he came from France, which is a far easier league. A loan move may be something that Newcastle might fancy. These are the sort of players they will be targeting. He could turn his career around and end up being that big-ticket player. But right now, it’s a gamble.”
Of course, Newcastle must first assure themselves of Premier League football next season before turning an eye to the summer, but Whelan does make an interesting case. A player of Pepe's ilk would improve the Magpies current squad, despite his inconsistencies.
A loan move with the option to buy would make sense for Newcastle, but it remains to be seen whether Arteta would sanction such a move. The Magpies lofty ambitions of challenging for the Premier League and European football will not happen overnight, and Pepe seems like a player who would be the next logical step.
Newcastle's recruitment team and Howe would have to ensure the positives outweigh the negatives before any approach. The Magpies head coach has done a stellar job of transforming a number of stagnating careers at St. James' Park and you would back him to improve Pepe.
During his stint as Arsenal boss, Unai Emery claimed signing Pepe was not his call and would go on to question the attitude of some of his former players. Emery did not disclose names, but further questions over his attitude from former players and fans, would make you doubt the possible move. January's foray into the transfer market for the right characters would hint at Newcastle looking elsewhere. Time will only tell.
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