OPINION
Newcastle United must rescue Lucas Perez from his Arsenal nightmare as Rafa Benitez can help the once magical forward rediscover his form.
The 29-year-old attacker, who can feature on both flanks as well as a centre-forward, was not handed much of a chance to impress at the Gunners under Arsene Wenger.
In fact the forward made only 21 appearances, scoring seven goals, before seemingly losing his manager’s trust.
While Wenger oversaw his final season at the London club, with them finishing sixth in the Premier League, opportunities still won’t come easy for him at the Emirates.
Sky Sports claimed that Perez was due back at the Gunners for pre-season training on July 2, after spending the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Deportivo, and that under new Unai Emery he could have chance of featuring.
The recently appointed Gunners boss worked with Perez at Paris St-Germain, but it’s unlikely that the manager will risk playing a forward who flopped at the club, as there will be pressure on him to make a good first impression in his debut season.
This inevitable decision must see the Magpies leap into action as with a little bit of help, Benitez can transform Perez into attacking presence they need.
The attacker’s spell at Deportivo in the recently finished season may have been a struggle for him on the most part, he put in some rather forgettable displays.
However after four goals and three assists in his final 10 games for the Spanish club it shows somewhere underneath all the disappointment is a talented player waiting to re-emerge.
The season before he was at Arsenal, the 2015/16 campaign, Perez racked up in impressive 17 goals in 36 outings and created 10 assists when he was at Deportivo.
The 29-year-old was a magician as his left defence spell-bound with his skills and prolific ability yet his time at Arsenal instantly stripped all confidence away to the point where he is still suffering.
But when you consider Benitez’s ability to unlock a player’s true potential plus the Magpies’ need to improve their attacking threat, Perez is a clear option they could take who would not break the bank.
Therefore the Magpies boss must rescue Perez from his top-six Premier League nightmare at the Gunners, which will continue if he stays, and fix him so Newcastle United reap the rewards.
