Arsenal: Lucas Perez Cannot Be Allowed An Escape

Lucas Perez is reportedly set to be offered an escape route by Sevilla. Arsenal and Arsene Wenger cannot allow the talented Spaniard to leave.

The competitiveness of the Arsenal squad has been a major plus this season. There have been many players that are perhaps deserving of more game time but, primarily thanks to the quality alternatives, have not been afforded such a luxury.

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Arsene Wenger has rotated his squad carefully throughout the year, limiting the game time of players like Nach Monreal to keep them fresh for the latter stages of the season. Even established starters of recent seasons have had to sacrifice their yearn for a starting berth at the expense of Wenger’s selection decisions.

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Olivier Giroud has spent much of the year watching rather than playing. Aaron Ramsey has failed to prove his fitness, and as such, has now seen his role deplete to little more than a glorified reserve, while Danny Welbeck is yet to forge a starting role for himself after returning from a long-term knee injury suffered towards the end of last season.

However, there is one player who is suffering at the hands of the competition within the squad. That man is Lucas Perez. Signed for £17 million in the summer, Perez was initially acquired as depth, rather than an immediate starter. Nonetheless, given his recent success in late game cameos and cup starts, it is not unreasonable to suggest that he is deserving of a greater share of the playing time in the bigger matches.

Recent rumours have suggested that Sevilla would be interested in rescuing Perez from what has been described as a nightmarish first season in England. While the Spaniard has himself professed that he is comfortable in North London, happy with his new teammates and looking forward to the future, there is clearly an element of unrest regarding his limited opportunities.

Arsenal would be utterly stupid to let Perez go. He has scored six goals and assisted a further three in his past eight games, assisting or scoring a goal every 75.1 minutes this season. He has been instrumental in creating chances and scoring goals whenever he’s been on the pitch, producing at a far greater rate than Alex Iwobi who has been stationed ahead of him for much of the year.

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It is no surprise that Perez would like to leave, even just a year after joining. However, Wenger cannot let him escape. There is still a bright bright future ahead.