OPINION
Manuel Pellegrini’s desire to add another forward to his West Ham squad ahead of the new season is more than justified but the club’s reported pursuit of Arsenal’s Lucas Perez won’t lead to instant success.
The 29-year-old forward is believed to be nearing a switch to the Hammers, as it was reported via Twitter by reliable Italian reporters Matteo Moretto and his colleague Franceso Porzio on Saturday.
Lucas Perez cerca del West Ham de Pellegrini. @SkySport
— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) August 4, 2018
While Perez is capable of being a fantastic recruit for the Hammers this summer, it’s fair to say his career is in need of reviving as his recent campaigns haven’t seen him covered in glory.
The Gunners forward spent his 2017/18 campaign on loan at Deportivo La Coruna and aside from a strong end to his season where he rediscovered where the goal was, his displays hardly demonstrated that he was once seen as a decent attacking options for a top-side.
In fact Arsenal previously paid £17million, as stated by The Guardian, in order to sign him as they believed he could aid their quest to compete for the Premier League title.
Perez’s time at Arsenal has particularly been woeful as there are hardly enough moments to form a highlight reel despite him joining the club in 2016.
The Spanish attacker has managed to feature only 21 times for the London club, scoring only seven goals and registering just five assists in the process.
However based on his past success in La Liga and Ukraine’s Premier Liga he does have the tools in his locker in order to be a success in England’s Premier League.
Perez is a competent dribbler of the ball due to having the strength to hold of his opponent’s attempt to pry the ball away him and is a fantastic passer who is capable of splitting any defence open with one of his passes.
The 29-year-old is also a threat when it comes to take taking set-pieces whether it be free-kicks or corners.
These attributes should see him be able to flourish in the Premier League and given that Pellegrini is vastly experienced in the game, he should have the know how in order to get the best out of Perez.
This all means that if the forward does end up joining the Hammers this season then Pellegrini will have to work some magic in order to revive the attacker’s career in order for him to be a worthwhile signing.
