Arsenal: Lucas Perez deal microcosm for transfer troubles

Arsenal are close to selling Lucas Perez to West Ham United for £5 million. The cut-price deal is a microcosm for their transfer troubles in selling well.

Lucas Perez is seemingly set to leave Arsenal. The striker returned to the Emirates this summer after a frustrating year on loan at Deportivo la Coruna, hoping to resurrect his career in north London with Arsene Wenger, a manager who clearly was not enamoured with Perez’s capabilities, now gone.

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Ostensibly, however, Unai Emery, the Gunners’ new Head Coach and Wenger successor, agrees with his predecessor. Perez has hardly been used in the whole of the preseason, has reportedly been told that he can depart the club in the coming remaining days of the transfer window, and will not be a part of the Spaniard’s plans next season.

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And the reports from the media now suggest that West Ham United are leading the charge for his signature. West Ham are searching for attacking help and new manager Manuel Pellegrini is allegedly a Perez fan from their time in La Liga. Perez wants to stay at the Emirates. He also accepts that he may need to leave to find regular playing time elsewhere. There is a lot that makes sense to suggest that this move could happen.

However, there is a problem. Not a problem that will stop the move from happening. Rather, a problem for why it could be a mistake. The London Evening Standard reports that the price negotiated between Arsenal and West Ham is £5 million. For that price, this seems like a fairly silly move, especially considering that it was only two years ago that Perez was valued at £17 million by the very same club.

The sale is a microcosm for this club’s transfer problems in recent seasons. Frankly, they have never sold well. Whether it be because of contract crises or too high wages that are difficult to offload or untimely injuries or poor negotiating skills and decision making, consistently, Arsenal have sold players for less than their market value.

Throughout the last few seasons, there have been myriad players all sold for cheap, or even allowed to leave for free because of contract mismanagement. Take Jack Wilshere, for instance. A player of his natural ability should not be free. Or Alexis Sanchez. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a fine player, but Sanchez, under a long-term contract, is worth £100 million. Or the £7 million for Kieran Gibbs in the same summer a £15 million bid was rejected. Or the £10 million for Wojciech Szczesny who was selected to be Gianluigi Buffon’s successor at Juventus.

And this is another prime example. Perez is not a brilliant player. Absolutely not. But he is worth far more than £5 million, especially considering he was worth nearly £20 million two years ago. Unfortunately, this is the position that Arsenal have engineered for themselves because of the high wages they pay their reserves, their clear disinterest in keeping him, and the age of the player when he signed them.

Perez leaving is fine. But Perez leaving for £5 million leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It is a microcosm of the Gunners’ transfer troubles. The new regime has a lot to change.