When Arsenal finally signed a new striker this summer, the first thing you expect to see is for him to be leading the line for the Gunners. However despite years of frustration about not having more options in the striking department, Wenger stuns the world by not only dropping Giroud, but also by not selecting his new striker signing.
Many had assumed that Wenger believed Lucas Perez quite simply wasn’t ready to play a full match for the Gunners and unsurprisingly Wenger has revealed that that is exactly the reason behind Lucas’ limited minutes on the pitch.
Arsene Wenger spoke ahead of Arsenal’s English Football League Cup fixture against Nottingham Forest, that he thinks Lucas will take time to adapt to the league and that is why the Spaniard hasn’t got too many minutes to his name. Wenger said: “When you see the games, you can see the intensity is total and it takes you a little while sometimes to adjust to that.
“All the players that we bought this season have top quality and have the right attitude.
“I believe that in training Lucas shows the quality to integrate into our squad and this is a job where you have to be focused and maintain your desire no matter what happens to you.
“Sometimes it comes quick, sometimes you have to wait and at the moment he shows us the quality.
“If he maintains that he will get his chance.”
Of course there is always a period of adaptation needed for most players when they come to a new league. To adapt to new training methods, styles of play and managerial tactics is one thing, but the players also have to be wary of the physicality of a new league, especially one as physically demanding as the Premier League.
After spending a rumoured £17 million on Lucas Perez, you’d expect Wenger to have bought a player capable of bringing goals to Arsenal. Arsene Wenger doesn’t splash the cash on just anyone these days!
Lucas made the starting line up last night and he really kickstarted his Arsenal career against Nottingham Forest with a cooly taken penalty and an individual show of strength and ingenuity. Has he surprised Wenger enough to throw him in the starting line-up against Chelsea?
AH