Ornstein confirms obvious: Arsenal have not bid for Nicolas Pepe

Earlier today, TF1 reported that Arsenal submitted an eighty million euro (€80m) bid for Lille’s winger, Nicolas Pépé. Perhaps Edu, Raul Sanllehi and the extremely competent transfer team got Stan Kroneke to throw some money at the football club, some thought.

But really, the club that is currently trying to add their detritus in Mohamed Elneny, Carl Jenkinson and Calum Chambers to £40m to sign Wilfried Zaha, who are dithering over how much money above £20m to offer to Celtic to get Kieran Tierny, are stumbling over payment plans and bonus to Saint-Étienne for William Saliba, allowing Tottenham to gazump them, and aren’t allowing a 33-year old centre back with a limp and one working leg to go out and get one last payday because he is actually the club’s best centre back and they need to squeeze every drop of value out of him, is going to spend €80m on a winger. That’s a good joke.

The expected rebuttal came shortly later, when David Ornstein confirmed everything we knew: Arsenal didn’t make the bid, and don’t have that kind of money. At least we don’t need to fool ourselves that Nicolas Pepe would join Unai Emery’s Throw-Ins Set Up The Cutbacks Attacking Force, when he would undoubtedly have options to play for better teams, with better coaches who play much better football.

Meanwhile, Raul Sanllehi’s very good plan for the summer window, which has seen [checks notes] Arsenal sign an 18-year old from Brazil’s fourth division, continues at pace.