Arsenal's new signing Nicolas Pepe names former Gunners player inspiring him

Nicolas Pepe has revealed the one former Arsenal player inspiring him as he embarks on his Gunners career - and it's not who you might think.

The Ivorian forward completed his switch to the Emirates from Lille on Thursday after the clubs agreed a £72 million deal.

And Pepe is keen to follow in the footsteps of some of his fellow compatriots who have donned the red and white shirt, namely Gervinho .

The 32-year-old forward is one of a few Ivory Coast internationals to enjoy a stint at the Gunners, along with Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue.

Pepe told the official Arsenal website : "They are the major players from the Ivory Coast. We talk a lot about Gervinho, for example, who played for Lille and ended up at Arsenal so I am on the same path.

Pepe has completed his move to Arsenal (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"They are definitely examples to us young Ivorians and I hope we will continue to follow these examples."

Arsenal broke their transfer record to land Pepe, who had been courted by a number of clubs during the transfer window.

Liverpool and Manchester United were just two of the sides rumoured to be interested in signing the 24-year-old, before Arsenal beat them to the punch.

However the Gunners were not Pepe's preferred destination, as comments from an interview in 2017 emerged, where he stated he would only play for their London rivals Chelsea .

The forward named fellow Ivorian and ex-Gunner Gervinho as his inspiration (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Then playing for Angers, Pepe told French TV: "Chelsea is a club that would be a dream for me.

"It's the only club in England that I would sign for."

Pepe's addition to the Gunners side provides fans with a mouthwatering prospect of having their three most-expensive signings all in attack.

Arsenal have spent a combined amount of over £170 million on acquiring Pepe along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Pepe was put through his paces at the club's training ground on Thursday (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Boss Unai Emery said of his new talent: "Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe.

"Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I'm delighted he's joining.

"He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team."