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Are Deportivo La Coruna set to rescue Lucas Perez from his miserable stint at Arsenal?
Arsenal’s late-summer exodus shows no sign of relenting just yet with reports in the claiming that Lucas Perez is the latest squad player edging closer towards a north London exit.
The Spanish striker has been heavily linked with a return to hometown team Deportivo La Coruna throughout the window to date, with it thought that Arsenal were demanding £13 million from them.
But it now appears that Arsene Wenger is resigned to letting him leave on a loan deal instead, believed to set the La Liga side back around £4million with a view to a permanent deal in the future.
Should Wenger be letting Perez leave the Emirates?
It’s fair to say that Lucas Perez hasn’t quite enjoyed the best of times since arriving in the Premier League from Deportivo La Coruna last summer, struggling to make a real dent into the Arsenal side.
All season the 28-year-old has been playing second fiddle to his Arsenal teammates, always behind the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, and he was only awarded 11 appearances in the Premier League all campaign – including just two starts by boss Arsene Wenger.
And although frustrations have understandably been growing under the surface all season at his distinct lack of game-time the final nail was put into Perez’s coffin with the arrival of a new striker.
It’s undeniable that Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette is the perfect signing that Arsenal needed this summer but, in agreeing a deal, it all-but ends any chance of Perez reviving a career over in London.
The fact that the French striker has been given Perez’s number nine shirt tells its own story, and understandably so the 28-year-old is looking for the quickest one-way ticket away from the Gunners.
It’s a big shame that things didn’t work out for Perez at the Emirates as he came to England with potential to succeed, with a reputation for scoring goals inside the area and decent build-up play.
A Champions League double away at FC Basel showed he had the raw talent to impress, allied with his sensational volley against Bournemouth to help Arsenal earn a point, but his lack of first-team chances all year meant that he had little opportunity to leave a lasting impression in Wenger’s mind.