Topics: English Premier League, Arsenal, Nicolas Pépé, Lille, Transfer
The Gunners were able to beat Liverpool and Napoli to the signing of this highly-rated striker, who was second behind Kylian Mbappé in the goalscoring department.

Arsenal may not have been able to splash the cash during the 2018-19 season, but they have certainly found a way to do so this summer.

Moments ago, the North London club has revealed that Ligue 1 ace Nicolas Pépé will join the Gunners after putting pen to paper to a $88M deal. 

The Ivory Coast winger makes history both for Arsenal and for African football, as he has set a new transfer record for the Gunners. Furthermore, he has become the most expensive African footballer of all time. 

The former Lille footballer is also the most expensive transfer for a Premier League club this summer, surpassing the $77M fee paid by Manchester City to sign Atlético Madrid's Rodri.

The 24-year-old joins Dani Ceballos and Gabriel Martinelli as Arsenal's new faces. Arsenal is one of the top spenders in the Premier League this season, with only Aston Villa spending more money than the Gunners.

The Ivory Coast footballer was one of the most prolific players in Ligue 1 last season, scoring 23 goals and handing out 12 assists. These numbers were only surpassed by Kylian Mbappé's contribution to PSG, as he scored 33 times and handed out 9 assists.

Coach Unai Emery praised this signing while looking forward to Pépé's contribution to the team.

"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," the Spanish coach said.