Arsenal: Lucas Perez set up to become Gunner martyr

Arsenal found a slick, effective signing in Lucas Perez last summer, but now he may be on the fast track to becoming a martyr. And there’s nothing we can do about it.

Arsenal has seen a very effective first year from Lucas Perez, their under-the-radar summer signing, but his opportunities have been unjustly limited. Finally, he has admitted that maybe life in North London has been so unfair that be may seek an exit. His words, as quoted by SkySports:

"This season has been difficult because I think I’ve deserved to play more. I may not have done as well as others, but if they’d have given me more minutes I’d have produced better numbers: more goals and more assists. I’ve spoken to the coach and he admits as much, but he has own ideas and I respect that. I’d like more opportunities because I think I deserve them, but I’ll have to accept what comes my way"

We have seen plenty of Arsenal players misused or not used to their full potential. Serge Gnabry, Joel Campbell are the most recent. But have we ever seen a player not used to his full potential and then sold off to bring in an improvement?

It’s like Lucas would actually be doing Arsenal a service. By opening up and saying he is considering leaving after all, Lucas has set himself up to be the one that makes way should the Gunners manage to sway an Alexandre Lacazette or Kylian Mbappe.

With three strikers (Alexis doesn’t appear to be a striker anymore) between Lucas, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud, Arsenal has a surplus. Which is nice, but not when you want an upgrade. Lucas is the closest to the exit. Therefore it could be seen as an honorable falling-on-the-sword by Lucas to take an early exit and be replaced by Lacazette or Mbappe. Maybe even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

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It would be like if Arsenal sold off Serge Gnabry and brought in Marco Reus. Sure, we would lament that we never saw the full potential of Gnabry, but who would complain? Especially if his exit was necessary to facilitate a move for Reus, which is how it would likely be for Lucas and whoever would come in his stead.

Even in the situation as it currently stands, where everyone can agree that Lucas should be given more of a chance, there isn’t anything that can be done. He damn well might have been the solution. It’s just too late to find out.

Wenger simply can’t not buy a striker this summer.

It makes perfectly logical sense to just about everyone, supporters included, to go in with a fresh start and hope that Lucas is the one. But that’s what this year was for, not next year. This year we wasted time diddling with Alexis Sanchez at striker when it’s clear that he probably won’t ever go back there.

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Next year we need something more drastic, not more chances. Lucas is just in an unwinnable situation where, even though he deserves is, it is impossible to give it to him.