The Gunners biggest counterattack against the old master, and they chose not to celebrate the goal, but were overwhelmed by the sky-high price.

In the 16th minute of the game, when the large screen of the stadium showed Arsenal 0-1 Villarreal, the yellow Qian player Nikola Pepe, who scored the goal, turned around and remained silent, did not choose to celebrate, and spread his arms to face the gaze of more than 40,000 Gunner fans to express his apology. The Ivorian, who once carried the 80 million euros in Arsenal's history, told his old club with practical actions at this moment that he is a kind and kind player, even if he was once unpopular with the Gunners.

As Arsenal's former team leader, in the summer of 2019, the 24-year-old Pepe came to the Emirates Stadium with a net worth of 80 million euros. You should know that it was not only the Gunners' biggest move at that time, but also created a record of transfer fees for African players. But it was such a player who was highly anticipated by Gunners fans who brought great disappointment.

During the three seasons he played for Arsenal, Pepe played in 112 games in various competitions, leaving only 28 goals and 20 assists in the end. Compared with the peak data of 22 goals and 11 assists he handed in Ligue 1 in a single season, it is obvious that the Ivorian, who is worth 80 million euros, failed in the Premier League. Later, as Saka rose on the right, his playing time was shortened to 681 minutes in a single season, completely becoming a regular on the Gunners' bench. Especially when Gunners fans saw young players such as Saka and Ode support the team with low pay and high energy, Pepe's title of parallel goods was even resounding at the Emirates Stadium.

Soon Pepe began his career as a wanderer on loan, and in the summer window of 2023, Arsenal also wanted to send the Ivorians away by giving up the transfer fee and paying liquidated damages. After leaving Arsenal, Pepe went to Ligue 1, Nice and Trabzon Sports in the Turkish Super League, until he gained a foothold in Villarreal last season.

Looking back on Pepe's Arsenal career, the biggest factor is that the sky-high transfer fee has made Gunners fans expect him too much. Just as Pepe said in an interview with the media before the game: "If the transfer fee was only 20 million pounds at the beginning, the evaluation would be completely different. Fans are not judging me, but judging the price tag." Pepe hid helplessness in his wry smile, and the high transfer fee was like a shackle, nailing him to the pillar of shame of "square-stock".

In addition to the premium transfer fee, with Arteta taking office, the wingers require both high-intensity pressing, rapid offensive and defensive conversion and defensive discipline, which are obviously not what Pepe is good at. In addition, there is a lack of running without the ball, and Arteta's pass and cut system relies on interspersing without the ball, Pepe prefers static balls, which ultimately makes him an "outsider" under Arteta. With the continuous criticism of the outside world and not recognized by the head coach, Pepe finally collapsed in his confidence and became the largest parallel in Arsenal's history.

Four years ago, he was the most expensive dream of the Emirates Stadium; and tonight, he completed his self-reconciliation with a silent goal. When the football world is obsessed with measuring value with transfer fees, Pepe's struggle and redemption are just a mirror that reflects the essence of utilitarian football. The sky-high label will eventually fade, and only the running on the green field is eternal and true.