Since joining Newcastle United in 2014, Ayoze Perez has been through a lot with the club. In being involved with relegation battles and one gruelling season in the Championship, the forward has grown as a player on and off the pitch.
In a recent interview, the player gives an honest insight to his feelings ahead of rejoining the top flight.
Being realistic about the return
There is no denying that in Perez's tenure, he has become acquainted with the struggle of the demands of the Premier League. Newcastle finally succumbed in 2015/16 when they were relegated.
Now that they are heading back, Perez admits that “It will be difficult,” the 23-year-old Spaniard has his justification for this as he continues, “I say this because every year the Premier League is getting better."
Each year there is more money invested into the top flight in England with the majority of the teams boasting quality throughout their squads. These are attributes making it one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
The Newcastle forward believes that this is attracting new talent, “there are a lot of quality players coming to the division - it happens year after year."
With these updates every year comes a level of expectation for all the other teams competing, Perez explains, “Every team improves their squad and spends a lot of money so we have to be ready."
2017/18 could be Newcastle's year
Although the young forward talks about the money involved with squads, in the same Premier League season that saw Newcastle exit to the second tier, Leicester City stunned the country by clinching the title. They did this on a smaller budget than the top clubs and this sentiment is something that Perez refers to when talking about his own team.
"We have to think about what we have to do, and I think it’s going to be a great year for us” he says when asked about the upcoming season, also adding with an element of humour, “we are promoted, let’s enjoy it a little bit.”
The Toon are still in the process of modifying their side to be prepared for the jump in quality, but Perez insists, “we have lots of time to think about the Premier League,"
“What we can do as players is make sure that we are ready for it”, the striker concludes.