Arsenal thought they had landed a statement signing when they paid a club record fee for Nicolas Pepe, but no one could have predicted where he would be five years later.
Pepe joined Unai Emery’s side for a whopping £72m in 2019 after a standout season at French side Lille, but took some time to settle into a chaotic team.
He found some form under Mikel Arteta, providing the match-winning assist in the 2020 FA Cup final, but then found himself in and out of the team despite ending the 2020-21 season as the top scorer in the squad with 16 strikes in all competitions.
Pepe was then phased out as Bukayo Saka nailed down a starting spot on the right wing, and he embarked on two loan spells before terminating his contract last year.
A club record signing had departed on a free before his contract even ended, and he moved to Turkish side Trazbonspor for a fresh start. Unfortunately for him, this also became a nightmare as they lost the Turkish Cup final to Besiktas in the most brutal way possible.
Nicolas Pepe loses Turkish Cup final with Trabzonspor despite goal
Pepe started the cup final on the bench before coming on in the 68th minute as a substitute, and he thought he had finally found his moment of redemption in the 89th minute.
With Besiktas leading 2-1 heading into injury time, Pepe found himself on a rebound from a set-piece and scored to make it 2-2 against the run of play.
However, his dream turned to disaster quickly. With 94 minutes on the clock, his side were defending as they aimed to reach extra time, and he was in his own penalty area.
A shoddy clearance from Pepe fell directly to Ali Musrati, who smashed the ball home from outside the box to win the cup in the dying seconds, and the former Arsenal winger collapsed to the ground alongside his distraught teammates.
Nicolas Pepe fails in fresh start at Trabzonspor after Arsenal disaster
At 28, Pepe should be in his prime years, and when he joined Arsenal, it was envisaged that he would be an attacking superstar for years to come.
Instead he is now set to leave Trabzonspor on a free, with his confidence likely shattered after his fatal mistake in the cup.
It is unclear where Pepe could go next. If he moves to Saudi Arabia, he could be joined by his former teammate Thomas Partey, who is set to leave Arsenal.
Pepe did show glimpses of his talent at Arsenal, and at his best he was unplayable at times, but things did not work out for him, and regaining his best form has been more difficult than anyone anticipated.