Emery told he made big mistake signing Pepe and not Man Utd star

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has been told that he made a mistake signing Nicolas Pepe in the summer instead of Harry Maguire.

That’s according to Charlton boss Lee Bowyer, who believes it would have much more sense for the Gunners to have signed a top centre-back rather than another attacking star.

Arsenal signing Pepe was somewhat of a surprise addition to the Gunners squad when they paid a record £75million to make the transfer happen.

The Gunners – who did not have the budget to compete with the likes of Manchester City – pulled off the transfer by agreeing to pay Lille in installments.

Maguire, meanwhile, eventually signed for Manchester United in a deal worth £80million in what was a long-running transfer saga.

But Bowyer believes it would have made more sense Arsenal going for the centre-back, as they still look shaky at the back.

“Defensively they are frail, they concede too many goals. Their centre-halves have been a problem for years,” said Bowyer on Sky Sports’ The Debate.

“It’s not just been this season, it’s been for a while now, but they would rather spend £75million on a winger than a centre-back.

“Maguire would have been perfect for them, why didn’t they get him?”

Arsenal did David Luiz from Chelsea for £8million, but the Brazilian has not exactly been a hit so far as Emery’s men continue to struggle defensively.

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