Arsenal: Lucas Perez writing an inspiring story of perseverance

Arsenal gave Lucas Perez a rather unfair situation when he first arrived, but he stuck with it and it may actually be paying dividends in the end.

When Arsenal acquired Lucas Perez, there was a lot of muttered optimism floating around him. While he wasn’t the big name striker we wanted, he had so many of the things we did want. And even if he wasn’t a big name, he once was, and merely got bogged down in a crowded Atletico Madrid system.

Aside from the name value, though, he had a great left foot, intelligence over the ball, superb link-up play and a deft touch. There was a lot to be excited about. And again, like Olivier Giroud, it wasn’t just the scoring that he was going to be valued for.

However, Lucas was stuck when Alexis Sanchez was given dibs to the striker role, despite how little sense it made, and Lucas was lost in the shuffle. Every time he took the pitch he did quite well, but “each time” was not very often.

There’s no way around it. Arsene Wenger screwed him. He never gave him a shot. I hate to put it like that, but that’s just how it was. And then he was sent out on loan and, in his stead came Alexandre Lacazette, the man I believe Wenger truly wanted when he bought Lucas.

That looked to be the end of Lucas. Loaned back to the club that gave him his breakthrough, no one would have bet on him making a comeback.

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Lucas was rumored to be on Unai Emery’s radar for second chances and here we are, hearing that the Singapore tour will include the Spaniard, now 30 years old.

And frankly, I couldn’t be happier for him. Never has there been a guy more patient and, by extension, more deserving, than Lucas. For so long he has waited for that opportunity at a breakthrough and while we don’t yet know what capacity he will be used in, we do know that he is being given a chance.

Plus, if you count on him as a winger, then you have your first winger in the club.

Beyond that, though, if Danny Welbeck is sold off, as he is expected to be, then Lucas has an even greener pasture to graze on, with far less crowding and far more grass to munch on.

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It has the makings of a wonderful story, and I hope that Lucas can see it through to where he wants to be.

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