Arsenal transfer news: Nicolas Pepe shirt number revealed after Gunners complete £72m move for Ivorian
The Ivorian admits he is ‘emotional’ after completing his move to the Premier League and revealed his motivation behind linking up with the Gunners
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Your support makes all the difference.Nicolas Pepe will wear No 19 at Arsenal it has been revealed after completing his £72m move to the Emirates from Lille.
The Ivorian was a "key objective" for the Gunners this summer, Unai Emery has announced.
"Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe," Emery said.
"Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I'm delighted he's joining.
"He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team."
While Pepe has confirmed he is emotional after clinching his big move to the Premier League and admits he is excited to play alongside Mesut Ozil.
"Being here is very emotional because it has not been easy for me. I have come a long way and struggled a lot and so signing for this great club is a big reward," Pepe said.
"It was my family and my agents. We talked and thought a lot about it. It was at the time of the CAN [Africa Cup of Nations] as well, we thought a lot during, before and after the CAN. It was important to make the right decision and I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice.
"The French guys who play here. Then I also thought of Özil, the world champions, Lacazette, Aubameyang and many more. Of course, these are the players who sprang to mind because I used to watch them when I was at Lille. Also, Lacazette used to play for Lyon and so I have had the opportunity to play against him and it will be an honour to play alongside him."
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