Nicolas Pepe arrived at Arsenal in 2019 as the club’s most expensive signing ever, carrying the weight of a £72 million price tag. But the Ivorian winger’s journey from Lille’s star to a free transfer at Villarreal tells a story of unfulfilled promise and shifting valuations. Here’s a fact-checked look at his career, finances, and personal life.
Age: 31 ·
Height: 6’0″ (183 cm) ·
Current club: Villarreal CF ·
Market value: €6.00m ·
Nationality: Ivory Coast ·
Position: Right winger / forward
Quick snapshot
- Born 29 May 1995 in Mantes-la-Jolie, France (AS (sports database))
- Arsenal record signing at £72 million in 2019 (BBC Sport (UK broadcaster))
- Scored 27 goals in 112 games for Arsenal across all competitions (ESPN (sports media))
- Joined Villarreal on a free transfer in August 2024 (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
- Marital status and spouse name – not publicly confirmed
- Religious affiliation – never disclosed
- Exact net worth figure – estimates range from $15–20 million
- Current salary details – not publicly disclosed by Villarreal
- Peak market value: €70m in 2019 (Transfermarkt (market database))
- Current value: €6.0m as of 2025 (Flashscore (sports stats))
- Free transfer to Villarreal in 2024 marks a 90% drop from his Arsenal fee (Transfermarkt (market database))
- Continues at Villarreal under contract until June 2026 (Yahoo Sports (news aggregator))
- Still active for Ivory Coast national team (40+ caps) (Yahoo Sports (news aggregator))
- Career revival depends on consistent La Liga minutes (Yahoo Sports (news aggregator))
The table below summarizes Nicolas Pepe’s confirmed biographical and career data, cross-referenced from multiple sources.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolas Pépé |
| Date of birth | 29 May 1995 |
| Place of birth | Mantes-la-Jolie, France |
| Height | 6’0″ (183 cm) |
| Position | Right winger / forward |
| Current club | Villarreal CF |
| Market value | €6.00m (Transfermarkt) |
| National team | Ivory Coast |
Who is Nicolas Pepe’s wife?
Is Nicolas Pepe married?
- No confirmed public information about Nicolas Pepe’s marital status or spouse exists. The player has not shared details of a partner or wedding in any interview or social media post.
- He is known to be private about his personal life, rarely discussing relationships in public.
Does Nicolas Pepe have children?
- There are no verified reports of Pepe having children. He has not posted about fatherhood on his Instagram account (@nicolas.pepe19).
What is known about his family background?
- Pepe was born to Ivorian parents in Mantes-la-Jolie, France. His brother, Jonathan Pépé, is also a footballer who played in the French lower leagues.
- Speculation about a relationship with a woman named Teanna is unverified and not supported by any credible source.
Pepe’s extreme privacy gives fans little to latch onto, but it also protects his family from the scrutiny that plagued other high-profile transfers. For a player whose on-field career has been dissected endlessly, the silence may be intentional.
The pattern: Pepe’s guarded personal life contrasts with the public scrutiny of his career.
What was Nicolas Pepe’s role at Arsenal?
How many goals did Nicolas Pepe score for Arsenal?
- Across all competitions, Pepe scored 27 goals in 112 appearances for Arsenal, according to ESPN (sports media). That’s a goal every 4.1 games.
- In the Premier League, his tally was 16 goals in 80 matches, per Transfermarkt (market database).
Why did Nicolas Pepe leave Arsenal?
- After inconsistent performances and falling out of favor under Mikel Arteta, Pepe was loaned to Nice for the 2022–23 season. He then left Arsenal permanently in 2023, joining Trabzonspor on a one-year deal, per Yahoo Sports (news aggregator).
- In 2024, he moved to Villarreal on a free transfer, ending his five-year Arsenal chapter.
What was his transfer fee to Arsenal?
- Arsenal signed Pepe from Lille on 1 August 2019 for a club-record £72 million, as reported by BBC Sport (UK broadcaster). The deal was structured with add-ons.
- At the time, it was the highest fee Arsenal had ever paid for a player.
The implication: Pepe’s transfer fee created an expectations gap that his on-field production could never close.
What is Nicolas Pépé’s net worth?
What is Nicolas Pepe’s salary at Villarreal?
- Capology, a salary tracking site, estimates Pepe’s gross salary at Villarreal for the 2024–25 season at €3,120,000 (Capology (contract database)).
- The same source estimates €6,240,000 in total gross salary remaining on his contract through 2026.
How much did Nicolas Pepe earn at Arsenal?
- According to reports, Pepe’s Arsenal salary was around £140,000 per week. This figure has not been officially confirmed but is widely cited by football finance analysts.
What are his endorsement deals?
- Pepe has had sponsorship deals with Puma and other brands, but specific financial terms are not publicly available. His net worth is estimated between $15–20 million, based on cumulative transfer fees and salary earnings.
Pepe’s net worth is a fraction of what his original price tag suggested. For a player who once commanded a £72 million fee, the financial trajectory — from record signing to free transfer — mirrors the on-field decline.
The catch: Despite earning millions, Pepe’s financial trajectory mirrors his on-field decline.
What is Nicolas Pépé’s transfermarkt value?
What is Nicolas Pepe’s current market value?
- As of 2025, Pepe’s market value is listed at €6.0 million on Flashscore (sports stats) and Transfermarkt (market database).
- FootballTransfers, another valuation site, places his worth between €2 million and €4.8 million, reflecting significant volatility in estimations (FootballTransfers (transfer analytics)).
How has his market value changed over time?
- Pepe’s peak market value was approximately €70 million in 2019 after his Lille breakout season.
- By 2023, his value had dropped to around €15 million, and after his free transfer to Villarreal, it settled at the current €6 million — a 91% decline from the peak.
Which clubs have been interested in him?
- Besides Arsenal and Villarreal, Pepe has been linked with Nice (loan), Trabzonspor (permanent transfer), and several French clubs. No major European club has made a significant bid since his Arsenal exit.
What this means: The market’s valuation of Pepe has collapsed from €70m to €6m, a stark reminder of the risk in single-season wonders.
What is Nicolas Pepe’s religion?
Is Nicolas Pepe Muslim?
- Nicolas Pepe has not publicly disclosed his religious affiliation. There is no verifiable information about his personal beliefs.
Does Nicolas Pepe practice any religion?
- No public statements or social media posts indicate any religious practice. Speculation is based solely on his family background (born in France to Ivorian parents).
Has he spoken about his faith publicly?
- Pepe has never discussed religion in interviews or on his social media channels. As with his marital status, he keeps this aspect of his life entirely private.
The lack of personal disclosure doesn’t indicate anything negative — it simply means Pepe’s public persona is almost entirely professional. For a player whose career has been defined by a single transfer fee, the silence may be a deliberate choice to control his narrative.
The takeaway: Pepe’s privacy in personal matters is a deliberate choice, not a void to be filled with speculation.
Timeline
Born in Mantes-la-Jolie, France. (AS (sports database))
Youth career at Poitiers, then FC Lorient B.
Played for Lille OSC, scoring 35 goals in 79 appearances (BBC Sport (UK broadcaster)).
Signed for Arsenal for a club-record £72 million (Sky Sports (sports broadcaster)).
Inconsistent performances; loaned to Nice in 2022–23. Won FA Cup in 2020.
Joined Villarreal CF on a free transfer (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
Continues to play for Villarreal and Ivory Coast national team.
Clarity check
Confirmed facts
- Born 29 May 1995 in Mantes-la-Jolie, France (AS (sports database))
- Height 6’0″ (183 cm) (AS (sports database))
- Plays for Villarreal CF (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
- Arsenal record signing in 2019 at £72 million (BBC Sport (UK broadcaster))
- Market value €6m as of 2025 (Flashscore (sports stats))
What’s unclear
- Marital status and spouse name
- Religion and personal beliefs
- Exact net worth figure (estimates vary)
- Current salary details (not disclosed)
- Relationship with Teanna (unverified)
- Exact number of caps for Ivory Coast (estimated 40+)
The data above distinguishes what is confirmed from what remains unverified.
Quotes
“He has the quality to make a difference.”
— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, after Pepe’s goal in a 2020 match (Arsenal.com (official club site))
“I’m happy to be here and ready to start a new chapter.”
— Nicolas Pepe, on his move to Villarreal in 2024 (Villarreal CF official site (La Liga club))
Summary
Nicolas Pepe’s career arc is a cautionary tale about the gap between potential and output. From a record-breaking £72 million transfer to a free move to Villarreal, the Ivorian winger has experienced both the highest highs and the lowest lows in modern football. For clubs weighing big-money signings, the pattern is clear: a single sensational season in Ligue 1 does not guarantee Premier League success — and the financial risk can be immense.
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For a detailed look at his journey from Lille to Arsenal and beyond, see Nicolas Pepes career profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many goals did Nicolas Pepe score for Arsenal?
He scored 27 goals in 112 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, per ESPN.
What is Nicolas Pepe’s current market value?
As of 2025, his market value is €6.0 million on Transfermarkt.
Is Nicolas Pepe still playing for Ivory Coast?
Yes, he continues to represent the Ivory Coast national team with over 40 caps.
What is Nicolas Pepe’s best position?
He is primarily a right winger but can also play as a forward.
Why did Nicolas Pepe leave Arsenal?
After inconsistent performances, he was loaned to Nice and later sold to Trabzonspor before joining Villarreal on a free transfer.
How much did Arsenal pay for Nicolas Pepe?
Arsenal paid a club-record £72 million to Lille in August 2019.
What is Nicolas Pepe’s Instagram handle?
His Instagram handle is @nicolas.pepe19.
Has Nicolas Pepe won any trophies?
He won the FA Cup with Arsenal in the 2019–20 season.
Related reading
- Alphonso Davies: Biography, Injury, Contract, and More
- Dwight McNeil: Career, Stats & Transfer Fallout
These related profiles offer further context on high-profile football transfers and career arcs.
Henry William Bennett Murray is a staff writer for CivicInsight.uk, covering UK public affairs, policy and civic life. He works under Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Langford, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.