OPINION
After a roller-coaster of a campaign West Ham’s attentions will have turned to the summer transfer window – but as well as looking at new talents there will surely be some exits.
One man who could be on his way after just a year in east London is Lucas Perez, the Spaniard reported by Estadio Deportivo to be keen on securing a move away from the London Stadium and back to Spain.
Perez’s departure would surely be a blow for Manuel Pellegrini as he looks to prepare his squad to improve on a tenth place finish this season ahead of his second year in charge.
The Spaniard joined West Ham from Arsenal last summer for a reported £4million and signed a three-year deal with the Hammers, according to BBC Sport, but has struggled to establish himself as a permanent member of Pellegrini’s starting line-up.
The Spaniard has made 15 Premier League appearances for the Hammers this season and scored three league goals [Premier League stats], but he has mostly featured on the bench rather than in the starting line-up.
According to the report from his homeland, Perez is now wanting to leave the club and return to La Liga, where he enjoyed his most impressive spell of his career, scoring 17 goals in his final season with Deportivo La Coruna before he joined Arsenal in the summer of 2016.
If Perez is allowed to leave the London Stadium this summer, it would leave Pellegrini short of attacking options from the bench and would therefore force the Chilean to search for a replacement in the transfer window, something he could do without.
He might not have been a guaranteed first team starter since his 2018 move, Perez has still shown enough in his appearances for the Hammers to suggest he would be a useful member of Pellegrini’s squad next season.
However, if the Spaniard, who has already a couple of seasons outside the starting line-up of his club at Arsenal, desires to be given the opportunity to return back to Spain to get regular game time it will be difficult for West Ham to convince him to stay.
The Hammers will be looking to get a decent transfer fee for the forward if they are to let him leave, with the Spaniard still having two-years left on his deal.
If West Ham can receive a reasonable fee for Perez it might be best for both parties that he departs the London Stadium, but his absence would leave Pellegrini with a potentially headache of how to replace him this summer.
