Emery paid the price for Arsenal’s poor start to the 2019/2020 season when he was shown the exit in November after just a season-and-a-half in charge.
The Spaniard went into the market for a winger at the start of the season and was torn between two Ivorian internationals in Pepe and Zaha from Lille and Crystal Palace respectively.
Emery opted for Zaha as he was already accustomed to the league but Palace were demanding in excess of £80m for his services.
The Arsenal board then forked out £72m for the much younger and cheaper Pepe, who scored 22 times in 38 Ligue 1 games for Lille last season.
Pepe has endured a mixed debut season in England, with only six goals recorded across 32 games for the Gunners.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Emery said: "Pepe is a good player but he needs time. When I was there he didn't give me the performances.
"I was in favour of someone coming who knew the English league, more than anything so that he wouldn't need a period of adaptation.
"I had a meeting with Zaha, the Palace player. He was the player I wanted because I could see that he won so many games on his own.
"I saw 20 Zaha games, some incredible performances and I told them that this is the player that I want for this team.
"I spoke to Zaha. I had been with him personally. And he wanted to come.
"But the club decided that Pepe was younger, he was one for the future. I said: yes, but we need to win now and this lad [Zaha] wins games. He did it to us!"
