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Arsenal: Lucas Perez Mind Games Confined To Waiting Game
By Josh Sippie
Lucas Perez came to Arsenal expecting more than he got but despite wanting to leave, he is happy and comfortable. Confused? We will try to make sense of it.
Arsenal signed Lucas Perez and not many knew what to expect. He was a lower-tier La Liga striker who had never made it at a big club despite having clear talent. He wasn’t just a goal scorer, he was a clever passer. He wasn’t just a target man, he was a creator.
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Most importantly though, he was a striker, something that the Gunners desperately needed. And even in spite of his minuscule appearances, his numbers are superb and have finally proven to Arsene Wenger that he may deserve a real starting place (about time).
But the conflicting reports are still impossible to dissect. First, Lucas himself said that he was expecting more from his move to Arsenal. Then, his agent said that his client was not happy and was hoping to leave in the summer. Then his agent retracted those comments and simply said that he wanted to play more.
Now, with Wenger admitting that Lucas is “knocking on the door” of a first-team spot, suddenly Lucas admits that he is happy and comfortable in London.
The natural string of progression is plain to see, but it’s never that simple. With the FA Cup winding down and the Champions League likely done with, the Lucas Perez mind games have just begun.
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Appearances will not be as easy to come by moving forward and this, in turn, will give way to more frustrations and complications with his ‘happiness’.
What it’s going to come down to is Wenger’s ability to string Lucas along and convince him that he is “almost there”, which shouldn’t be that unbelievable when comparing Lucas’s stats with Alex Iwobi’s.
All we can do is wait. It’s completely understandable if Lucas isn’t sure if he wants to stay and is discussing an early exit with other teams. There is no reason to hide that and I think he’d find that Gooner’s around the world would empathize with him because we, too, have been crying out for him to be used more.
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Trying to dissect what’s happening here isn’t worth it. It’s best to just sit back, wait until the summer, and hope that Lucas gets enough between now and then to convince him to stay around and give life at the Emirates another shot.