The Underrated Spaniard – Why Newcastle Should Consider The Prospect Of Signing Arsenal’s Lucas Perez
Newcastle United’s search for a new centre-forward has landed them at the doors of Arsenal, as it is understood that the Premier League newbies have approached the Gunners over a move for their wantaway striker Lucas Perez, according to reports from the Sun.
The 28-year old, who joined the North London outfit only last summer, is desperate to leave the club, after having seen chances come his way at a premium, over the course of the last season. And after being stripped of his No.9 jersey, which was handed over to record signing Alexandre Lacazette, the player himself revealed that he was very much upset over the situation and wanted to leave the club before the new season. He was quoted by the ESPN:
“They [Arsenal] are not being fair with me. The act of taking away my [shirt] number without telling me anything to give to a teammate, that was the last straw for me.
“It is unfortunate. And I can’t go on this way. I have given them everything, but they haven’t responded in kind. And I can’t take it anymore.”
“Last year I barely had any opportunities and when I had them I took advantage of them. And this season it is clear that it is going to be more of the same. I want to fight for the chance to play on the national team. I want to play football. But to do that I have to leave.”
Perez’s former club Deportivo La Coruna are interested in taking him back and have reportedly made a £9million bid already (talkSPORT). However, Newcastle too have entered the race now, to try and ease him out of his hard time in London.
The Magpies are in the market for a new striker ahead of their big return to the Premier League and have been linked with a host of forwards over the past month. Having sold Daryl Murphy already and the uncertainty clouding over the future of Aleksandar Mitrovic amidst interest from Olympique Lyon, manager Rafael Benitez is intent on replenishing his strike-force. Dwight Gayle’s blistering debut season for the club last year, when he finished with 23 goals may inspire confidence, but the Englishman’s record in the Premier League isn’t flattering.
Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham was one of their prime targets, but he moved to join Swansea City on loan. With several other targets not panning out, they have switched attention towards Perez now. The 28-year old may not have had the best of the seasons with the Gunners, but it was mostly due to the lack of opportunities.
In his 21 appearances for the Gunners, Perez scored 7 goals and 4 assists in all competitions. While he rarely got a run out in the Premier League, he impressed each time he took the field and proved himself a handful in the UEFA Champions League as well, scoring a fine hat-trick against FC Basel. The Spaniard also had a good scoring record for his former club Deportivo La Coruna, scoring 24 goals and setting up 14 in 58 games for the Spanish club.
Despite his handful of appearances, Perez displayed that he can cut it out at this level and can help the team improve to a great extent. The 28-year old has decent pace, has shown that he can link up effectively with his teammates in the attacking third. With his ability to play anywhere across the front three and a keen eye for the goal, Newcastle will hugely benefit from capturing his signature.
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