Lucas Perez: Why there is something NOT RIGHT with some Arsenal fans

By Baba Grumpy

The way some who claim to be Arsenal fans jump on negative information, deliberate misinformation and untruths designed to paint the club bad is short of amusing. It sometimes reminds me of how a minority of Nigerians who lost their livelihood in May 2015 will never let go and will revel in every piece of negative news about their country.

As we go to Wembley this afternoon, nothing but a win will matter to this lot despite the fact that a competitive football match can only have 3 outcomes. Even with a win, many will tell you it was a nothing victory anyway. Their club should only be winning the big trophies. I would really like to know if these fans are winning the big prizes in their own life. Shouldn’t they be trying to match the same standards they set for the club they support?

Lucas Perez joined Arsenal late in August last year a few days before that transfer window shut. Many including some Arsenal fans touted him as a panic buy and a second choice after Jamie Vardy reportedly spurned Arsenal’s overtures. It will be interesting to know if any of those who considered him a panic buy and a squad player are moaning about what they consider Lucas’ poor treatment by Arsenal.

Hands up who expected Lucas to be a guaranteed starter at Arsenal! NO WAN.

If indeed you thought he was going to start in any of the front 3 position ahead of Alexis, Giroud, Danny, Theo, The Ox, I dare say football is not your thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Perez, I like and support any player who puts on the Arsenal jersey. They are good enough for me and deserving of my support and affection. I think Perez is a damn good player but in nobody’s world is he ahead of any of the 5 players I listed.

He reportedly moved to Arsenal for c£17m and is now apparently available to move for c£14m. Any of the 5 players I listed will command multiples of that transfer fee even with their current contract situation and football reputation. So no, none of those players are Lucas Perez’ mate. They are better players.

What do the stats show? According to Squawka (link – https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/892057521451663363), Perez has damn impressive stats. 9 starts, 948 minutes, 7 goals, 5 assists and directly involved every 79 minutes. Good. His total appearance for Arsenal last season is 21 with 7 goals, 11 in the Premier League, 7 in domestic cups and 3 in Europe.

His one goal in 3 appearances last season is surpassed by Alexis Sanchez’ 3 goals in 5 same term, Giroud’s 2 in 5 and Theo’s 1 goal in 2. Yes Perez’s goal stats are better than Danny Welbeck’s and Alex Oxlade – Chamberlain. It might however interest you to know that the Lucas Perez that was not treated well had more appearances than Danny Welbeck.

You can review all of Lucas Perez’s appearances at the end of this article. His appearances will reveal that he has been involved either as a starter or a substitute when he has been available to play. The only exceptions are when he is injured or has played a 90 minutes match 2 or 3 days before the next one. The dynamics of what player to bring on from the subs bench depends on what happens during the match. The manager naming the player in the side tells you that he wants to play him.

This link: http://news.arseblog.com/2017/03/lucas-perez-declares-himself-satisfied-with-arsenal-move/ shows the player acknowledging the pecking order at the Club and talking about his good relationship with the manager.

So much for poorly treated. What sort of arrogance or stupidity makes us fans / passionate onlookers no less, believe we know more than managers and professional outfits in how they pick / choose / select players?

What is this the thing that a player who is well paid and considered to be a well integrated member of a team has not been treated fairly because he hasn’t been played more times than players who are better than him individually or better suited to the side’s style of play. Oh! If only my employer will treat me poorly to do less.

I get the player’s desire to feature more, his passion to aim for a spot in the Spanish national side and his genuine upset feeling that a new signing has been given his shirt number. His upset feelings about his shirt number are very valid and forms part of the stick some want to beat the club with. It also helps that he has a very active agent who has briefed the press repeatedly since Perez started with Arsenal. The club has since apologized and it appears the communication process was less than ideal.

Taking the shirt number away is no big deal in my opinion, it’s a big dog eat small dog world when you compete with other Alpha professionals and earn telephone number type salaries. But not handling the communication well was very un – Arsenal. This is not the first time numbers have been taken from one player and handed over to others in Arsenal but this is the first time it has created such a kerfuffle. So you have to wonder if the club has dropped its communication standards or the attitude of the player involved has had an impact. I know what I believe. I will leave you to make up your mind.

If as reported, Lucas moves on in the next few days, I will wish him well. I have enjoyed watching him play live many times. I have enjoyed his goals and I have seen good chemistry with teammates on the field of play and training. I believe the club has treated him well everything considered. But he is making a stand and walking away from something that doesn’t work for him.

What about you? When are you going to walk away from this toxic relationship where you believe every bad thing about Arsenal?

ALL LUCAS PEREZ APPEARANCE FOR ARSENAL

· Lucas started the very first game for the club after his arrival. (v Southampton at The Emirates)

· He was on the bench for the next 2 matches and made a cameo appearance in one of those matches (PSG & Hull away)

· Started the next match thereafter (Forest away)

· Was on the bench for the next 2 (Basel & Chelsea at The Emirates)

· Left out of the squad for the next one (Burnley away)

· Was on the bench again for the next match against Swansea at The Emirates

· Came off the bench for 30 minutes against Ludogrets at the next match at The Emirates

· Played 23 minutes in the next match at the same venue against Middleborough

· Played 72 minutes against Reading in the Cup at The Emirates until he was almost murdered by one of the opponents. It was reported after the match that Lucas will be out with injury for 6 weeks plus

· He featured for 90 minutes in the League Cup home loss to Southampton following his return from injury

· He was back on the bench in then next match. The thrashing of West Ham at The London Stadium

· Played the full match in the 4 – 1 victory away at Basel

· Was on the beach in the next match v Stoke at The Emirates

· Made a cameo appearance in the loss to Everton away

· Was back on the bench in the defeat to Man City at The EMPTYhad

· Played 20 minutes off the bench in the next match v West Brom at The Emirates

· Played 70 minutes from the start in the New Year day home win over Crystal Palace

· Came off the bench for 27 minutes in the next match v Bournemouth away

· Played for 90 minutes in the next match at Preston for the FA Cup

· Played 11 minutes in the next match against Swansea away

· Returned to the bench as an unused sub in the next match against Burnley at The Emirates

· Played the whole of the next match in the FA Cup away win v Southampton

· Played 33 minutes in the next match v Watford in that disastrous home loss

· Missed the next match v Chelsea at Stamford Bridge due injury

· Played 10 minutes in the next match v Hull at The Emirates returning from injury

· Missed out on the next match against Bayern in Munich due to injury

· Played the 90 minutes in the next match. The FA Cup win away at Sutton United

· Came off the bench for 16 minutes in the next match in the away loss to Liverpool

· Again came off the bench for 18 minutes in the home loss to Bayern

· Similarly, played 25 minutes as a sub in the FA cup v Lincoln at The Emirates

· He picked up an injury and was ruled out for the next 3 weeks but didn’t return to training until the 25th of April.

· And he wasn’t back in the squad until the last game of the season when we wacked Chelsea. Could have been a 5 niller to us.

Baba Grumpy works in financial services in the United Kingdom. He blogs mostly about football at http://babagrumpy.blogspot.co.uk. His Twitter handle is @BabaGrumpy