Arsenal boosted their options up front earlier in the week by signing forward Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna, after meeting his £17.1 million buyout clause.
The 27-year-old put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Gunners, and speaking to the club’s official website, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger outlined some of the Spaniard’s main qualities:
“He’s a late developer in this position because he has always played on the flanks. He’s got a good eye for goal and had an outstanding season last year in a team that didn’t create too many chances… I believe he has the qualities to integrate into our team very well… He’s not only a goalscorer, he’s a guy who combines well with partners, who can give a final ball and makes good runs… I’m confident. He has pace, good technical levels, is a good finisher and he has the ingredients to be a success. It’s always a little bit of a gamble to come from one country to another, with different challenges, but I believe it was a gamble worth taking.”
The History
Perez’ career can certainly be described as a nomadic one, which started with stops at Alaves, Montaneros and Ordenes during his youth.
At the age of 18, he linked up with Atletico Madrid’s C-team, where he scored 18 goals in 55 appearances in a two-year spell, before joining Rayo Vallecano in 2009.
Perez only made seven first-team appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring once, instead finding himself as a regular in the ‘B’ side, where he scored 25 goals in 44 matches.
After once again failing to breakthrough at a Spanish club, Perez moved to Ukrainian outfit Karpaty Lviv in January 2011, and had a reasonably successful stint, scoring 15 goals and registering eight assists in 59 appearances. A loan spell at Dynamo Kiev in 2013 proved to be a disaster, though, with Perez failing to make a single appearance.
In July 2013, he embarked on a move to Greek side PAOK, where he bagged 12 goals and 16 assists from 52 matches. Then, ahead of the 2014/15 season, the frontman was sent on loan to Deportivo La Coruna. He did enough during that spell, scoring six goals and adding three assists, to help convince Depor to sign him on a permanent basis last summer.
The 2015/16 season was Perez’ real breakthrough campaign, scoring 17 goals and providing 10 assists in 36 league matches, impressive statistics in a side that only avoided relegation by four points.
The Prospects
With Perez possessing a decent turn of pace, clever movement and the ability to play across the forward line, it’s clear the Spaniard will provide the perfect alternative to target man Olivier Giroud.
Standing just under six foot, Perez only won four of the 17 headers he contested in 3141 minutes of La Liga action last term, while he’s not really a penalty box predator, with 34 of his 100 goal attempts coming from outside the box.
With Wenger unlikely to veer away from his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, it’s expected the new signing will compete with the Frenchman for the lone striker spot, although he is also capable of playing out wide, particularly on the left.
Comparing the pair’s underlying statistics from last season, Giroud did hold the edge for goal attempts, averaging one every 24.1 minutes, compared to every 31.4 minutes for Perez. The former Deportivo forward shone more in terms of creativity, though, averaging a key pass every 43.6 minutes, superior to Giroud (67.5).
Should he get the nod as the lone striker, Perez’s inclusion could certainly offer the Gunners far more fluency in the front four positions, potentially interchanging with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and perhaps Theo Walcott.
Perez has been priced at 8.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), slightly cheaper than Giroud, who’s available at 9.0. While the 27-year-old may provide an intriguing option, the chances are that he and Giroud will share playing time, meaning Sanchez and Ozil remain the safest routes into the Arsenal attack. Santi Cazorla provides a cheaper alternative should we continue to see an upturn in the number of penalties being awarded, although he faces far more competition for a place in Wenger’s starting XI.
After a tricky start to the new season, Arsenal’s fixture list (SOT, hul, CHE, bur, SWA, MID, sun) turns far more favourable over the next month and beyond, so owning one of their attackers appears something of a must over the coming period.
At this stage, opting for Perez could prove to be something of a gamble, with the move to Arsenal a considerable step up for a player who has spent the bulk of his career at a far lower level.
Similar to Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, Perez could be something of a late bloomer, though, and there’s a chance he may well emerge to be a viable option for our three-man frontlines at some point during the season.
For the time being, though, it’s Sanchez and Ozil, who both appeared to be returning to their best form in the Gameweek 3 victory over Watford, that should attract the bulk of our investment.
