Nicolas Pépé

Mercedes


Kwamé waiting patiently in his brother's luxury sedan, while the Frenchman finishes refuelling the tank!

Born in Mantes-la-Jolie, France, he began his youth career with local side Solitaire Paris Est before finishing up at Stade Poitevin FC. In the summer of 2019 he signed for Ligue 1 side Angers, whereupon he continued his development, totalling 41 appearances and 9 goals for Angers’ B-side in the CFA-2. After a productive loan spell away to CFA-2 outfit Orléans during the 2015/16 season, yielding 29 appearances and 7 goals, he returned to his parent club ahead of the 2016/17 season. The winger waged a successful campaign, totalling 33 Ligue 1 appearances and 3 goals, culminating in a run to the Coupe De France final, where Angers suffered a 1-0 defeat to PSG. On 21 June 2017, LOSC Lille signed the mercurial winger for a fee of €10 million. Even as the team struggled throughout the 2017/18 Ligue 1 campaign, the winger enjoyed a breakout season for Lille, totalling in 36 league appearances and 13 goals, helping Les Dongues narrowly avoided relegation. The following season he performed at the height of his powers, yielding 23 goals and 12 assist from 41 games. The highlight being a man-of-the-match performance, where he recorded a goal and 2 assist, in a 5-1 win over PSG. He was rewarded a place in the UNFP Team of the Year for his efforts. On 1 August 2019, Premier League club Arsenal shelled out a club-record €79 million to secure the services of the Frenchman. Three weeks later he made his full debut as The Gunners fell to a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool.