Villarreal Pepe: Emery convinced me to choose Arsenal over Napoli

Pepe says the support he felt from Unai Emery, now in charge of Aston Villa, contrasted with what he experienced from his successor Arteta.

Pepe told Athletic: “I had a phone call with Carlo Ancelotti, Napoli's coach at the time. It lasted five minutes. Half an hour later I had another call, this time from Unai Emery. It lasted an hour. He told me exactly what he was looking for, everything he expected from me when I joined Arsenal.

“He talked to me about the tactics, what he expected from me, where he would play against me, how I could improve under his guidance. Lots of details. And even though he doesn't speak French very well, he talked to me spoke French for hours. It was something small, but it made an impression on me. I felt his desire to work with me.'

That's why Pepe, then at Lille, went to Arsenal instead of Napoli.

“With Arteta it wasn't… well, it was good at the beginning. After that the confidence wasn't really there anymore. I had less and less playing time, so there was a certain frustration. I'm not someone who likes to go without every week justification or explanation is on the bench. So yes, it is something that created a certain tension.”