Newcastle were in the market for Lucas Perez last summer, so could be tempted to try and sign him once again?
There was a list a mile long of players Rafa Benitez wanted and attempted to bring to Newcastle United last summer. Among those was Lucas Perez, made available just a year on from his arrival at Arsenal after just two top flight starts.
With Rafa Benitez hamstrung by meek backing in that transfer window, a move back to Deportivo La Coruna beckoned, amid suggestions a return to his homeland was a preferred option anyway.
Deportivo have no option to buy him outright this summer and would be very unlikely to trigger one even if it existed. His homecoming turned sour, scoring just seven times during a run which also saw him go 18 games without finding the back of the net. To rub salt in the wounds, Deportivo were relegated from La Liga.
It was a far cry from the superb season that convinced Arsene Wenger to part with a reported £17million, where he struck 17 times in the league. While things did not go smoothly in north London, Perez’s goals-to-games ratio was stellar if unremarkable; taking his opportunities when they presented themselves in cup competitions including a hat-trick in his only start in the Champions League.
When he returns to Arsenal, Perez will be even further down the pecking order with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Danny Welbeck ahead of him. And with Newcastle appearing to be firmly in the market for another option up front, Benitez might just get his wish this time around.
However, will Perez’s poor form back in Spain put Benitez off another swoop for the Arsenal forward?
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