Aribim Pepple Transfer Highlights Key CPL Benefit

Just this past week Cavalry FC and the Canadian Premier League announced another high profile transfer as Aribim Pepple left Calgary to join Luton Town, a club recently promoted to England’s second tier, the EFL Championship.

The transfer to Luton Town is a big enough deal in and of itself; Pepple really hit the ground running this CPL season scoring 6 goals in 5 matches (consecutive matches to boot) which is quite impressive for a 19 year old. Pepple actually had his CPL debut as a 16 year old in the CPL’s inaugural season back in 2019, but once his contract was up Aribim chose to explore alternative options and spent some time with La Liga’s Getafe CF after signing with their U19 squad.

A key point of interest with Pepple’s transfer is how it all transpired and how these sorts of player sales are an entrenched aspect of the CPL’s business model.

Football Operations Departments

The Canadian Premier League currently has 8 teams, but it has 9 Football Operations departments. One for each team and one for the league office. Part of the CPL’s self-prescribed mandate is, in addition to running a competitive league, the development and promotion of young Canadian talent. As such, the 8 club based Football Operations departments and the League office one, have a symbiotic relationship and collectively work to identify young Canadian, U-Sports and potential international players that could join the CPL.

It’s a two way street though; via the League run Football Operations department, the CPL is actively helping each of the 8 club departments shop players out to league’s higher up the footballing food chain.

The CPL, recognizing that part of it’s purpose is to further Canadian soccer by being a pathway to professionalism has thus far been extremely successful in introducing young Canadian talent to the global football community. Most recently with brothers William Akio and Victor Loturi, earlier this season with Diyaeddine Abzi, during the offseason when Lukas McNaughton and Kayden Chung were sold to TFC and ranging all the way back to the inaugural season when Joel Waterman and Tristan Borges secured transfers to bigger league clubs, in the MLS and Belgium, respectively.

Aribim Pepple: Behind the Scenes of a Transfer

Charlie O’Conner-Clark of OneSoccer put together a comprehensive write-up of the inner workings of Aribim Pepple’s transfer and the CPL’s unified transfer operation. Read “Behind the scenes of Aribim Pepple’s move from Cavalry to Luton Town” for a detailed and insightful look.

“He (Aribim Pepple) is a great example of why our domestic league was created and has grasped his opportunity with both hands. I firmly believe that his character and capability give him the foundations of a big career ahead and we will watch proudly knowing we played a small part in helping the journey of a local kid develop”.

Tommy Wheeldon Jr. – Manager, Cavalry FC