Manager Arsene Wenger states that Spanish forward Lucas Perez will leave Arsenal and his reasons for selling him.
When Lucas Perez was posed with the question of whether to leave hometown club Deportivo La Coruna to join Arsenal, the decision must have been difficult.
What must have ultimately swayed his decision was the opportunity to play in the Premier League, for a global superclub like Arsenal, under a legendary manager like Arsene Wenger.
Unfortunately, the result was completely different – Perez was restricted to just two Premier League starts and six in total in an Arsenal shirt in an agonising season for both him and fans of the Spanish forward.
Often is the case in scenarios like these that a player’s ability is not what the club initially believed it to be, but with decent performances when called upon the 28-year-old’s reputation remains intact.
As such there a whole host of teams prepared to take the striker, who scored 17 goals in La Liga in 2015/16, on board – including Newcastle United and old club Deportivo according to the Evening Standard.
Speaking at a press conference broadcast on Sky Sports News, 3rd August, Wenger was asked if Perez is leaving and was conclusive in his response: “Yes, because we have a congestion of strikers. I don’t like to lose him because he is a good player but at some stage, too much competition is no competition anymore.”
The Arsenal manager also seemed open to negotiation as to what kind of deal that would be: “If he finds a satisfying solution for even a short time then so be it.”
Perez is seemingly desperate for a move to bolster any outside chances of making Spain’s 2018 World Cup squad, but the striker would surely offer quality, and at a reported price tag of £13.4m as per The Express, value for money too.
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