Arsenal: Lucas Perez Goals Offer Potentially Exciting Future
In Arsenal’s win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, Lucas Perez scored two goals, hinting at a potentially exciting first season in North London.
Whenever a new striker is signed, the first goal is often a cloud that hangs over their prospects until they are able to dispel such concerns. That is why, when Lucas Perez scored two in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, such excitement is extremely prevalent.
Perez, signed from Deportivo La Coruna in a £17 million move, was no sure thing when first signed. He had one decent season, at 27 years of age, scoring 17 league goals and 8 assists, but has not proven his quality consistently or at a particularly high level.
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Intrigue was perhaps the feeling that many fans associated with Perez. Hopeful of success, but certainly tentative to predict great things unlike when Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were added in years gone by. His goals on Tuesday night, however, shifted the feeling of intrigue to one of fascination and tantalisation.
The first came from the penalty spot, and while it was a confident, composed finish, opening his body out and side-footing the ball powerfully into the left corner, it was still a penalty. However, what was more telling was his confidence to take the penalty in the first player. While the likes of Santi Cazorla or Alexis Sanchez were not on the field, it is still unusual for a new signing to step up in such a pressured situation.
Video: Lucas Perez slots home the penalty to score his first Arsenal goal since his arrival. [@Ahmed91Gooner] #afc pic.twitter.com/mdC5GNsLRP
— afcvideo (@afcvideo) September 20, 2016
His second, however, was far more indicative of what could be to come. As Arsenal pushed forward on the counter, Perez, playing on the shoulder of the Forest defence – something that Wenger bought him to do in Vardy-esque fashion – darted down the right channel, battled for the ball, showing great strength and resiliance, cut inside, squeezed past the on-rushing keeper and slotted home into the empty net.
Lucas Perez with another goal #afc
0-3 #NFFCvAFC
[@GoonerTerje]pic.twitter.com/tckCEZnUt0
— Arsenal Latest (@ArsenalsNews) September 20, 2016
The two goals will certainly give Perez great confidence heading into his debut Premier League season, and could set him up for a great year. One game is not enough to judge a player, especially a new signing who is still hoping to adapt to a style of football that he is wholly unused to, but it is enough to incite belief and excitement.
The dispelling of the potential early goal drought is of understated importance, and with a run of wonderful fixtures after this weekend’s hosting of Chelsea, Perez could well be set to enter an exhiliarting run of form.
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