Lucas Perez is ready to quit Arsenal despite only joining in the summer, according to reports
According to Goal, the Spaniard feels he needs to leave Arsenal if he has a chance of fulfilling his dream of playing for Spain at the 2018 FIFA World Cup despite the fact that he only joined last summer.
Perez was signed from Deportivo La Coruna in a £17.1 million deal in August after the club missed out on their main target Jamie Vardy and also had large bids for Alexandre Lacazette rejected by Lyon.
Many knew little about the striker and he was considered by most to be a panic buy but has put in some impressive performances this season. Perez has scored 8 goals and picked up 5 assists in just 17 appearances – and 9 of those appearances have come as a substitute.
Despite his relatively prolific record and hard-working performances, Perez has found it hard to break into Arsenal’s first team and a result of injuries and the form of Sanchez and Giroud have seen him make just two starts in the league this season.
Goal claim that while Perez knows competition will always be tough at a club like Arsenal, he has been left confused by his lack of game time despite impressing whenever he has played, and feels that his performances warrant him an extended run in the side.
They also claim that Perez held talks with Wenger earlier this season and that the player told Arsene Wenger point-blank that he was unhappy about his lack of playing time. His issue hasn’t improved and it is not unnatural for a player to get frustrated in a situation like that.
At 28, Perez is at his peak and will definitely want to play at a club where he gets regular game time, especially with the World Cup around the corner. Perez was Deportivo’s star man but made the move to Arsenal in order to fulfill his ambitions.
With Arsene Wenger’s future at Arsenal also thrown into major doubt in recent weeks – with the Frenchman himself hinting at an exit – that could only fuel Perez’s desire to quit the Emirates at the end of the season.
Should he decide to leave Arsenal will find no shortage of suitors. The Gunners will certainly be reluctant to lose him on the cheap, however, and will likely only sell if they are able to recoup the entire fee paid for him in the summer.
