FORMER Arsenal winger, Nicholas Pepe has opened up to almost quitting football towards the end of his stay at Arsenal.
Recall that Pepe experienced a lack of game time under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as the player was also frequently called out by fans for his performance.
“I suffered a kind of trauma with Arsenal. It was as though they had taken away my passion for football. I felt disgusted by the game. I was no longer playing and I asked myself why I was doing this job.
“I felt so many doubts and thought about packing it all in. I asked myself why people were attacking me so angrily. They went as far as calling me the biggest flop in Premier League history. But I refused to mope about it.
“I wanted something different when I left Arsenal last summer, and I didn’t care a damn about the money,” Pepe told L’Equipe.
Pepe spent time on loan at French Ligue 1 club Nice and following his loan spell, Arsenal eventually terminated his contract.
The 29-year-old later joined Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.