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“I want to leave”: Arsenal attacker demands move

By on July 24, 2017

Lucas-Perez arsenal

According to quotes in the Express, Lucas Perez has confirmed his desire to leave Arsenal this summer with the striker keen to re-join former club Deportivo la Coruna.

Perez joined Arsenal from the Spanish outfit last summer in a £17m move but struggled to hold down a regular place in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven.

The 28-year-old started just 2 Premier League games and 9 across all competitions with the likes of Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Despite his lack of opportunities, Perez still impressed when given the chance and he managed to score 7 goals and provide a further 5 assists during a frustrating debut campaign in England.

The Spaniard has now gone public to confirm he wants to leave and re-join Deportivo in search of regular first team football while he also told reporters he feels ‘cheated’ at how he was treated at Arsenal last season.

Perez has criticised the club for taking his No.9 shirt without telling him and giving it to Alexandre Lacazette when he joined from Lyon last month, and he also revealed that a potential move to China in February was blocked.

The striker is quoted as saying by the Express:

“I want to leave to play and be happy. Last year I barely had any opportunities and when I had them I took advantage of them and this season is clearly going to be more of the same.

“I want to fight to go to the national team. I want to play football, but for that I have to leave.

“I think that the best place for me is at home, with Depor. They [Arsenal] are not behaving well with me.

“The thing of taking the shirt number without telling me to give it to a companion, it seems to me the last straw.

“I can not continue this way. I have given everything, but that has not been reciprocated, so I can’t stand it any longer. I feel cheated.

“In February I was not allowed to leave for China with the promise that I would play more and after that I had even fewer opportunities.”

Perez’s situation at the Emirates is bizarre as he also looked a real threat when he played and had an excellent impact in terms of goals/assists but Wenger just refused to give him a run of games in the first team.

READ: Arsenal in talks over cut-price midfielder deal

You can’t deny he’s been poorly treated but there must be a reason behind it all. Wenger doesn’t usually spend £17m on a player only to freeze him out of the squad. Perhaps Perez’s attitude behind closed doors has been a problem?

Either way, whatever the reason, the player is almost certainly heading out the door this summer and it looks like a move back to Depor is on the cards.

2 Comments

  1. chris

    July 24, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    When not if but when … Wenger takes against a player … that’s it, end of. Ask Joel Campbell, ask Arshavin, ask Czesney (except I can’t spell it !) If the sun shines … that’s it too … ask Giroud, ask Walcott (prior to 3 at the back). It may be about personalities but it is also about Wenger never arriving at a formation or game plan to bring the best out of his players. They have to fit in to HIS formation. Why ? Because as ex players have said, he is no coach nor tactician” and because (I say) he is an egotistical control freak.

    • Segun Law

      July 24, 2017 at 11:35 pm

      How about this? Maybe (just maybe) there were better players ahead of him at Arsenal and he just won’t be patient to await his chance. Now, that’s a thought. If your club drops you for a pre-season tour and have your shirt number taken, I think it is clear they want you to be on your way, so this headline is ridiculous as it is.
      The fact is Perez came as cover for the injured Welbeck as Giroud was yet unfit; and just didn’t take his chances by doing much better than those he was to cover for. Don’t forget he had two injury spells yet was impatient. The manager understood he wanted to play always and as he can’t give him that at a club like Arsenal, where better players than he are available, he has allowed him to go. The problem is his old club are unable to stump up the £12m asking price after taking £17m outright cash from Arsenal! I wish him well as I liked him as a person but if he thought he came here to walk into the first team, I am not sure something wasn’t lost in translation.

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