Nicolas pepe

At Arsenal: Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe revealed that during his time in the Premier League side, he faced a lot of criticism for his signing amount which pushed him on the verge of retiring from football. Arsenal signed Pepe for a club record amount of 72 million pound in 2019 from French club Lille. Despite displaying signs of potential in his first two seasons at Arsenal, the winger was unable to leave a lasting impression and, during his third Premier League season, was granted permission to sign a loan with Nice.

Pepe said he was subjected to a lot of flak for his performance and was even termed the "biggest flop in the history of the Premier League".

"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,” he said in an interview with L’Equipe. "It also came from the media or from certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect the mental state, and the family and it affects performance. The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal fans.