Arsenal forward Lucas Perez has revealed that he would be keen on a return to former club Deportivo after a disappointing first campaign with the Gunners.
The 28-year-old has made just 22 appearances in all competitions so far this season, only 11 of which have been in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and providing six assists.
While he has impressed when he has featured, albeit normally against lesser opposition, many Arsenal fans have been screaming out for him to get more opportunities in the starting line-up.
However, it hasn’t gone to plan for the Spaniard as he has struggled to hold down a spot in Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans, and it looks as though he could be ready to head back to Spain after just one season in the Premier League.
As noted by BBC Sport, he was a £17.1m signing from Deportivo last summer, and he believes that he deserved to feature more often this season for the Gunners.
“This season has been difficult because I think I’ve deserved to play more,” he is quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.
“I may not have done as well as others, but if they’d have given me more minutes I’d have produced better numbers: more goals and more assists.
“I would like to prove that I’ve got the quality to win things with Arsenal. But if the moment comes when I can’t do that any more, or if they decide to transfer me, there is always the opportunity to go back to Depor.”
It remains to be seen whether or not Wenger is willing to offer him more assurances next season or if he will welcome the possibility of offloading Perez and looking elsewhere this summer as it promises to be a crucial summer for the north London giants.
However, something will have to change ahead of next season for him to stay, as he’s certainly down the pecking order and that won’t be good enough for a player of his quality.