Arsene Wenger apologises for No.9 decision but Lucas Perez still bound for Arsenal exit

Lucas vies with Danny Welbeck in Arsenal training
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
James Benge2 August 2017

A fractious summer for Arsenal and Lucas Perez is nearly over.

In a meeting on Friday Arsene Wenger apologised to Lucas for his decision to hand the No.9 shirt to Alexandre Lacazette without telling its incumbent, the “final straw” as the striker termed it in a fiery showdown earlier in the month with Arsenal’s chief negotiator Dick Law.

It is unlikely to repair a relationship that had already become fractured over a disappointing debut season at the Emirates, where 22 appearances across all competitions was not enough for a player who has designs on making Spain’s World Cup squad.

Despite his comments on Sunday insisting he wants to keep the striker Standard Sport understands that it was at that meeting Wenger told Lucas he could go if Arsenal receive £13.4m (€15m).

Lucas might contend that Wenger never gave him the chance to build on his most promising displays. His reward for a hat-trick in the Champions League win at Basel? A place on the substitutes bench at West Ham.

The same was also true when he inspired the cavalry charge to turn a 3-0 deficit at Bournemouth into a point. After that game Lucas managed a further 58 minutes of Premier League football.

Perhaps, though, Lucas’ purpose has been served at Arsenal. Wenger has been left with no complaints over the Spaniard’s performances and he might depart the Emirates with a sense of vindication having won over a manager who declined to sign him earlier in the summer of 2016.

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“He's a top quality striker but I couldn't give him the games he wants and deserves, I confess that. I feel sorry for him on that front,” Wenger said in May.

Arguably that should not come as a surprise to anyone. Lucas arrived in August because Arsenal were once more desperately short on numbers in attack.

Danny Welbeck was some way short of recovering from a second major knee surgery and at the time Wenger had his doubts over whether the former Manchester United striker would ever play again.

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Olivier Giroud’s big toe was giving him plenty of problems. Theo Walcott had ditched his dreams of a central role. Arsenal had a repurposed Alexis Sanchez and not much else.

Lacazette’s arrival, coupled with Welbeck’s return to full fitness, has left Arsenal top heavy. There simply won’t be the opportunities for Lucas.

Arsenal needed an impact arrival. Lucas by and large proved to be that.

He will not be short of takers. Deportivo have lodged a £9m bid, though their ability to match Arsenal’s asking price remains in doubt. Fenerbahce and Sevilla are also contenders.

Suitors in the Premier League could also emerge, though it is understood that rumours of interest from Crystal Palace are currently wide of the mark.

Newcastle may prove to be the best fit for Lucas if his dream return to A Coruna cannot be manufactured. They are in need of a striker and the 28-year-old’s ability to lead the line or play off a target man makes him a promising fit for Rafa Benitez’s squad.

Questions have been asked over whether Newcastle can pay what Arsenal want – and the Magpies are believed to prefer a loan move – but in a summer of inflated fees Lucas could well prove to be a shrewd investment.