When Arsene Wenger signed Lucas Perez forArsenal in the final days of the summer transfer window, it answered the prayers of many Arsenal fans who had been calling for the boss to sign a new striker for the last few years! Arsenal fans had been left unsatisfied with the club’s front line of attack and with Olivier Giroud simply not cutting it on a big time scale, and Theo Walcott failing to make the switch fromthe wing last season, the fans were desperate for Wenger to add to his options up front.
Lucas Perez was by no means the club’s first choice, after moves for Vardy, Higuain, Mahrez, Morata and Lacazette all failed to materialise. But Lucas, who was a £17 million signing from La Liga side Deportivo, seemed like a viable option to add to the Gunners attack. The only problem is that since his big money move to the Premier League, Lucas has failed to really get a chance to show what he’s all about. A league cup appearance including two goals, a single Premier League start and a few cameo appearances is all he has to show for his first month and a half in North London, suggesting that perhaps he isn’t quite hitting the heights Wenger may have hoped for in training.
What makes the situation worse is that the club’s main striker, Olivier Giroud, has also failed to make more than a few appearances for the side this season, with Wenger instead preferring to keep Alexis Sanchez up top for now. Giroud has been struggling with injury problems, whilst Lucas has also suffered with a slight niggle a few weeks back, but the Spaniard is fit again and ready to make his mark on the team.
He got his chance tonight in the Gunners third Champions League match of the season. With the team in winning form it was going to be hard for Wenger to change a winning formula, but Wenger took the opportunity to rest Alexis Sanchez for the last half hour this evening and give Lucas a chance to impress once again.
Lucas looked solid and supplied two very classy crosses that ended up as assists, but we cannot expect him to become the club’s main frontman overnight with Walcott and Sanchez in such brilliant form, but he should certainly be giving Arsene Wenger more options in his selection choices, especially as he looked to be a great winger this evening.
Let’s hope we get to see some more of our new striker in the near future, because hopefully he’ll follow the same path as our other summer signings and prove to be another excellent buy. He hasn’t been given many chances so far but perhaps he could challenge Oxlade- Chamberlain and Iwobi for place on the left wing after his excellent contribution this evening.
We certainly are looking like we have some excellent players in reserve if – God Forbid – we get any serious injuries to our front men.
Has everyone been impressed with his attitude so fa ror am I the only one?
By AH