EPL: It’s not his fault – Arteta reveals why Arsenal terminated forward’s contract

Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta has explained why the Gunners terminated forward Nicolas Pepe’s contract.

Pepe joined Trabzonspor from Arsenal earlier this month after his contract with the Premier League North London club was terminated.

The Ivorian had fallen down Arteta’s pecking order as a consequence of Bukayo Saka’s meteoric rise and spent last season on loan at Nice.

However, Arteta has now revealed that Pepe’s contract was terminated because things were not working well with the player at Emirates, suggesting that the huge amount spent to sign him also contributed.

According to Arteta, it was not Pepe’s fault but the player had to move on, insisting that the decision to terminate his contract with Arsenal benefited all parties.

“I was not involved in the process of that deal,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League tie with Everton on Sunday.

“What I can say about him as a person is that he’s a phenomenal boy. He tried really hard.

“It is not his fault the amount of money that we paid at the time, and that is it. When things are not working, you have to move on.

“There is no point trying when something is not working and that decision has been made and I think it benefits all parties.”