Lucas Pérez's football journey hasn't exactly been a normal one. Starting off in the lower divisions of Spanish football with Atletico Madrid C, and Rayo Vallecano B, he didn't find his feet until much later, as he discovered himself playing in the far reaches of Europe.
The 28 year old from A Coruña in northern Spain is a late bloomer, finally getting his big move to Arsenal last summer after spells with Ukrainian side Karpaty Lviv, PAOK in Greece, and his hometown club, Deportivo La Coruna.
Lucas wasn't prolific in Ukraine, scoring 14 in 51 games, but the performances were starting to show glimpses of his quality after struggling to impress in his native country. However after netting nine goals in 32 league games in his only full season in the Greek Super League, it earned him a loan move to Deportivo.
During his return to Spain, he aided his team's cause with six goals in 2014/15, before scoring 17 in 36 La Liga games last season, a campaign which turned out to be his breakthrough year. Lucas subsequently got his dream of joining a team in the Champions League, but the reality of this move was to be a disappointing one, with his career stagnating just as it looked to be taking off.
Consistent performances
Pérez's first season in England has been a confusing one. When he's been given a chance in the team he's usually performed, but as the campaign has gone on it has become increasingly strange that despite Arsenal's poor form, he has not been given more of an opportunity.
The Gunners' number nine has seven goals and four assists in 21 appearances this season, a tally that equals a very healthy return, especially when you consider he has started just six times all season. Add that to the fact that most of those goals and assists have come from a wider position than he was used to with Deportivo, and it shows just how impressive he's actually been.
The Spaniard's first start for the club came in September in a 2-1 win over Southampton. He played just over an hour before being substituted in a game where he found himself incredibly isolated. His first goals came ten days later, scoring twice in the Capital One Cup against Nottingham Forest. Lucas then didn't play again until October, before assisting two goals off the bench as the Gunners brushed aside Ludogorets at home.
His next goals wouldn't come until December, as he scored a hat-trick against Basel in the Champions League. It was surely a sign that he needed to start more. That however was not the case, and he has started just four games since. Injury has fallen in different spells during that period but considering his consistent performances over the course of this season, it is still difficult for any Arsenal supporter to get their head around his lack of game time.
Wenger's reluctance
Perhaps Arsène Wenger's unwillingness to play Lucas at times this season has been because of Alexis Sanchez's displays in a central striker role. Not many people would have expected the Chilean to be so prolific in that position, and as a result Lucas has not had the game time Wenger would have imagined when he first arrived. Sanchez has not played up front for the majority of 2017 though, so the decision not to include Pérez when fit baffles the mind.
Arsenal's choice to sign the Spaniard last summer was an unconvincing one. They missed out on a big move for Jamie Vardy, and with a forward player needing to be signed, they went for a player many regarded in Spain as the La Liga equivalent.
Wenger however has admitted that his treatment of Pérez this season has been unfair. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of a mid-week clash with Southampton he said, "he’s a top-quality striker and I couldn’t give him the games that he wants and that he deserves, I must confess that."
Wenger has had a tendency in his time to leave players out of the team who have a similar style to the Spanish forward though, and Lucas can be added to a list of names that include the likes of Carlos Vela and Joel Campbell, who both never really got fair chances either.
Despite Wenger failing to play Lucas on a regular basis, he still hopes to keep him at Arsenal next season, providing he is still in charge. "I would love to keep him. We have to sit down together and see if he has a reasonable chance to play next season or not," he said.
Injury problems add to frustration
To add to Lucas' troublesome season at Arsenal, injuries have burdened him as he's tried to impress. He missed eight games as he sat out for a month between October and November with an ankle injury, before suffering a thigh strain which has kept him out since March.
Those two injuries has meant he's gone through a very stop-start campaign where he's never really been able to get going. It would therefore be unfair to dismiss him after just one season, but he does seem open to the idea of potentially leaving in the summer. In an interview in Spain he said, "if they [Arsenal] decide to transfer me, there is always the opportunity to go back to Depor.
“I know there are other clubs who want to sign me and my intention is to play in the Champions League. But in the summer we will see if Depor is still an option.”
Lucas is due to return during the final weeks though, and could yet earn an FA Cup winners medal, something which would offer somewhat of a salvage point from a disappointing season in North London.
Time to move on?
Unfortunately for Lucas, it does appear as though that after just one season with the club it may be for the best to leave. He still has dreams of playing in the World Cup, something which could be realised if he plays regular minutes, but that doesn't look likely at his current club.
The Gunners' summer plans remain unclear however, and a lot could happen regarding whether Lucas stays or not. Of course the future of Wenger remains unclear yet but a new manger arriving well see Lucas as an important player. The current manager however has already spoke of his desire to keep him at the club, but if game time is not going to be given, then Pérez's future will not be at Arsenal. He will be almost 29 by the start of the 2017/18 season, and at that age a footballer needs to be playing regularly.