Former Arsenal flop reveals he wanted to 'retire' after disastrous spell in England

A former Arsenal forward has revealed the 'trauma' he suffered while playing at the club which almost led to his early retirement.

The pressure put on players at the top of professional football is perhaps greater than ever, with several players recently speaking out about their own mental health struggles.

Earlier this year, Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison bravely opened up about his experiences with mental health and how he has dealt with it.

And now, former Arsenal player Nicolas Pepe has spoken out about his own struggles while playing in the Premier League.

Speaking to French news outlet L'Equipe, Pepe said: "At Arsenal, I suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been ripped away from me.

"I felt disgust for the game. I was no longer playing, and I asked myself why I was doing this job.

"I doubted myself to the point that I thought about giving it all up. I wondered how people could be so harsh on me. They even called me the biggest flop in the history of the Premier League."

Pepe joined the London club from Lille in 2019 for a then club record fee off £72million, something that he argues placed unfair pressure on him.

He added: "With a fee that high people don't care what level you come from - they just want you to perform straight away.

"Sadly the reality is that it's statistics above all. Some players score 25 goals a season, but there aren't many of them and I'm not even a number nine.

"I wasn't going to roll over the Premier League like that. But that's what brought me this wave of criticism."

Nicolas Pepe made 80 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, scoring 16 goals. (Image: Getty)

Pepe admitted that the extent of the negative criticism thrown at him impacted on his performances, leading to him considering retirement from football.

He said: "It was almost harassment. I don't look at social media much, but if my brother told me, 'This is what they said about you,' it would affect me unconsciously.

"It also came from the media or from certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performance.

"The only people who always supported me were the Arsenal fans."

Pepe left Arsenal in 2023 to join Turkish club Trabzonspor but is currently a free agent after his contract expired.