New Arsenal signing, Nicolas Pepe, said on Thursday that it will be an honour for him to play alongside world champion Alexandre Lacazette at Arsenal when the Premier League season starts.

When asked who he was looking forward to playing with at the Emirates Stadium he said: “The French guys who play here.”

“Then I also thought of Mesut Ozil, the world champion, (Alexandre) Lacazette, (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang and many more. Of course, these are the players who sprang to mind because I used to watch them when I was at Lille.”

“Also, Lacazette used to play for Lyon and so I have had the opportunity to play against him and it will be an honour to play alongside him.”

“I have come a long way and struggled a lot and so signing for this great club is a big reward,” he added.

Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign the winger from Lille as the London club tries to return to the Champions League.

The 24-year-old Ivory Coast international moved to the Premier League in a transfer deal worth a reported €80 million.

Pepe’s move, announced on Thursday, eclipses the Aubameyang signing in January last year as Arsenal adds another attacking option to a squad that finished fifth last season.