Arsenal new boy Nicolas Pepe saved his first club with a ­teenage wonder goal – and his £72million transfer fee will now net them a £1m windfall.

The Ivory Coast star, set to make his home debut against Burnley on Saturday after coming on against Newcastle last Sunday, scored 22 goals in the French League last term to attract interest from Barcelona , Napoli and ­ Manchester United .

But his path to the top of European football began when his dad Celestin took a job as a prison officer in the small university town of Poitiers and he joined the local club aged 14.

After coming through the youth ranks, Pepe broke into the first team in 2012-2013 and is still fondly remembered for a magical goal in the last game of the season in National 3, the French fifth division.

Nicolas Pepe came on as a substitute against Newcastle to make his Arsenal debut (
Image:
Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“He was young but I saw him ­develop here,” recalled Stade Poitevin president Regis Dubois.

“He scored a magnificent goal against Nantes Reserves in the last match of the season and saved us from relegation – that is why we are in National 3 today.

“It was a goal of beauty. He started on the flank and dribbled past all these players before a marvellous shot into the top corner.”

Pepe’s father Celestin last year told French football magazine Onze Mondial: “The most memorable match of his career was when he was at Poitiers. I was so proud – I shook that day!”

Former team-mate Anthony Arnould said: “He made the game look easy but he always had the ability in a tight match to make a difference.”

Pepe pictured playing for Poitiers against Angers before he hit the big time (
Image:
Benjamin Beneat)

Dubois, who has been at ­Poitiers for 35 years, added: “He was a nice kid, popular – not difficult to coach. There are certain kids I have seen who are not like that.

“They arrive and they think they are Neymar before putting football boots on.

“You could see he was a bit special but he was so young and there was such a long way to go in his career. But he has since made such an improvement and had such a career that I can only say bravo.”

Pepe has claimed that moving to Poitiers from Paris allowed him to flourish and dare to believe he could become a professional.

His father next moved to Angers and, after a loan spell at Orleans, he played in Ligue 1 and the 2017 French Cup final before joining Lille for €10m.

Daily Mirror's Neil McLeman with Stade Poitevin president Regis Dubois (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

Manager Marcelo Bielsa watched videos of his every Ligue 1 appearance after former Real Madrid scout Luis Campos ­spotted him scoring another ­superb goal against Rennes. “I quickly fell in love with him,” ­Campos told France Football.

Deployed at Lille by Bielsa as a centre-forward, Pepe’s career took off only when he was shifted to his favoured right-wing position after the Argentine’s sacking to become the most expensive export from Ligue 1.

FIFA rules state all his formative clubs will share five per cent of his Arsenal transfer fee. So Stade Poitevin, who have an annual budget of €220,000 and an average crowd of 400-500, and who filed for bankruptcy in 2005, will get about £1m.

Dubois, who saw his keeper ­Nicolas Tie move to Chelsea for free in 2017, said: “It is a sacred bit of oxygen. If everyone who left was like Pepe, it would be great financially!

Pepe takes on Arsenal assistant coach Freddie Ljungberg during training (
Image:
Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I have followed his progress closely and for us there is an enormous satisfaction to see the player arrive at this level.

“I think he has made a good choice in Arsenal because there are lot of French-speaking players there and a good coach and he will be an ­immediate starter.

“I think he still has progress to make but he is doing really, really well. And I think he has the abilities to succeed.

“And of course I hope he will.”