Arsenal's summer has been a rollercoaster of emotion. The club has had a few interesting signings over the span of the past few weeks. However, none of which is commanding more attention than that of the dilemma between Nicolas Pepe and Wilfried Zaha.
The Gunners are now on the verge of making yet another historic transfer record as the club is reportedly making the final touches of a transfer deal that will bring Pepe into its squad. The proposed transfer is reportedly worth £72 million, and it has the rest of the Premier League's attention.
Prior to this, Arsenal is on the frontrunner for acquiring Crystal Palace forward and Ivory Coast international Zaha. Reports have claimed that Crystal Palace and Arsenal are on the final terms of the deal, only to be steamrolled by yet another news that the Gunners are instead looking to strike a different deal.
While both Zaha and Pepe are noted to integrate into Arsenal's squad seamlessly, the club has chosen to pick Pepe over Zaha. One of the reasons why Arsenal shied away from Zaha was its perceived overvaluation from Crystal Palace. Earlier this summer, Arsenal made a formal bid of £40 million to acquire Zaha. However, there was a disagreement with the forward's value as Crystal Palace places him around an £80 million valuation.
Crystal Palace's decision to keep Zaha's valuation has forced Arsenal to look for other viable replacements that are well within their budget, and that is how the club arrived at the conclusion to pick Pepe from Lille.
While at Lille, Pepe scored 23 goals. He is also one of the leading figures to help the squad qualify for the Champions League, placing second to PSG.
Recent reports claim that Arsenal has already flown Pepe into England for the mandatory medical exam on Tuesday. Some analysts have noted that if this is true, then it could only mean that Arsenal might be on the verge of completing the deal.
Pepe is expected to sign a five-year deal, with a weekly salary of around £150,000. Arsenal is hoping that he is physically fit as the club is keen into playing him in the opening Premier League game against Newcastle on August 11.
When asked about the prospects of the Ivory Coast international, Arsenal manager Unai Emery has this to say, "Pepe is a very good player and also we are thinking only of players who can really, really improve this squad and also give us some different conditions to improve."
