Nicolas Pepe insists he has no regrets about leaving Arsenal, saying he has found a more suitable environment at Villarreal after a difficult spell in England.
The Ivory Coast winger joined Arsenal for a then club-record £72.5m in 2019 but struggled for consistency in north London, scoring 27 goals in 112 appearances before being frozen out as Mikel Arteta reshaped the squad.
Pepe says his biggest frustration was a lack of communication with the Spaniard, and points to his relationship with current Villarreal boss Marcelino Garcia Toral as the clearest example of the difference.
“First, it’s different. These two managers are really different,” Pepe told Flashscore (via sportingnews.com).
“We’ll start with Arteta, who is a coach who asks for certain things. Sometimes it was a bit tough for me, where from time to time we didn’t have this communication. And that’s what I regret the most, not having enough communication with him.
“Then with coach Marcelino, it’s the opposite, where I think we talk about everything, about nothing, football, not football, whatever.
“I always say that I prefer a coach who is totally transparent with me, whether it’s the right or the wrong side. It allows me to move forward and progress.”
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The 30-year-old has five goals and four assists in 29 La Liga appearances this season, and says the contrast in styles between England and Spain has suited him.
“It’s totally different in terms of intensity of play. [In] the Premier League, we were very much focused on the intensity whereas in Spain we are more relaxed. The idea of playing is to play the ball.
“With stadiums in England I think there are no better. You can go to the third or fourth division, you will have stadiums that are filled with incredible atmosphere.
“In Spain, too, there’s atmosphere, but it’s totally different. So I think it’s two different leagues, but they are at a very high level.”
