Update: Please see this story in which the agent denies giving this interview.
Lucas Perez wants to leave Arsenal ‘at all costs’, according to his agent, as he’s unhappy with how little playing time he’s been given by Arsene Wenger.
The Spaniard has been a productive player this season, and in relation to his appearances has racked up impressive stats with 6 goals and 6 assists.
However, he appears not to have convinced the Arsenal manager, and he’s been restricted to short cameos, if he gets on at all.
That has left him with a desire to leave and in an interview with CalcioMercato, Rodrigo Fernandez Llovelle, said, “Look, the truth is that Lucas wants to leave at all costs and is not happy at Arsenal.
“He hasn’t settled and hasn’t had a chance to play and show what he can do. He will leave because he’s had no chance with Wenger – he wants to go and play for a big club.
“No matter who is the manager in the future, we want to go. The player must have the chance to play.”
His comments are in stark contrast to those made back in November, when he denied any issues with the club and played down speculation that he might leave on loan.
“He has no intention of leaving, Arsenal and Wenger are very happy with him,” he said. “Maybe try asking them!”
It’s a strange situation, Lucas has always looked good and productive when he plays, but he’s clearly some way down Arsene Wenger’s pecking order.
It will be interesting to see if he plays tonight against Sutton in the FA Cup.
Don’t blame him one bit. Wenger has managed him so poorly. He’s looked dangerous every time he’s played and yet he’s rarely started for us in the league.
I’ve been so disappointed he hasn’t featured more. He always looks class when he’s played, for me, I’d rather have him off the left then Iwobi for most games.
Agreed, if someone a out of their depth like Iwobi was keeping me out of the team i’d want to leave to
Iwobi out of his depth?. Ridiculous comment. I don’t know which matches you have been watching. I understand the general dark mood but you might want to vent your frustrations at others more deserving within the squad.
Errrr the Bayern match?
Yeah but it tells you a little bit about his character if this is the time him and his agent decided to come out with this and put extra pressure on the manager
He had Debuchy written all over him and if Wenger doesn’t play him in a single game from now on I wouldn’t have a problem.
He
Agreed, if someone a out of their depth like Iwobi was keeping me out of the team i’d want to leave to
Agree. Iwobi has talent but he is FAR from the finished product. Perez has been treated like shit. Wenger out rather than Lucas
Indeed, its like Campbell – he was decent yet kept being dropped for Walcott.
Campbell? WTF HaHa what is he doing right now on loan? I’m not huge TW fan but he’s another level compared to Campbell.
Granted, this is just his agent, but I don’t appreciate shit like this. Players like Gibbs, Mertesacker, Giroud, and Ospina have all faced similar situations where they haven’t played as much as they would like. None of them had their agents bitch and moan for them.
All of them had their chance in the first team.
No way you can compare Lucas with either Giroud, Mertesacker, Gibbs or Ospina. They’ve been all given chances by Wenger and were benched only when their form was inadequate or when we found better replacements. Lucas performed almost every single time he’s been given a playing time and yet could not persuade Wenger to give him a real chance. How many chances he’s got in the premier league? Not many and it is the most important competition for us. If we’ve spent 20 Mil € on a player that haven’t been given a proper chance in the league than I… Read more »
Similar situations, not carbon copies. I’m also of the opinion he’s a good player but the way he’s been treated in no way merits this type of response.
Also, the notion that we spent 20 million on an alibi is ridiculous.
Granted, but that still dosent give him the right to go mouthing off in public. He won’t be the first, neither will he be the last and there are formal complaints channels within the club, which is the route conscientious true professionals take. As for the agent to state that he wants to go play for ‘a big club’?…..implying that we are not?, this from a player plucked from relative obscurity to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world?….I won’t even bother responding to that except they can both fuck off! Arsenal is bigger than both of… Read more »
Don’t you think the names you mentioned have played a lot more than Lucas? Lucas has NEVER been given a decent run from the start, and yet has almost always performed coming on as a sub.
The other names mentioned have also been their for years longer than Lucas, hence their greater game time, to be fair.
People keep forgetting his injuries. Hasn’t he had two or three already? They’ve played a part in keeping him out of the team.
We don’t know what he was told before he agreed to sign in the summer. The players you mentioned have all been regular starters in the team but lost their place. Lucas has never really been given a fair chance.
Hmm he was out for a fair while with an injury, plus has had a few minor injuries in the past few weeks. Still, I’m very disappointed that Wenger hasn’t selected him much when he is fit. Especially when others haven’t been performing in our forward line.
Exactly it has been a mixture of Wenger not selecting him lately and Lucas being injured when he probably would have started matches. There haven’t been that many matches when he was available and still sat on the bench but can understand if he is pissed of being behind Iwobi and Walcott in the pecking order.
I don’t blame him in fact.
Look at it this way: if a new manager comes in, Lucas is still down the pecking order. If Wenger stays, he plays a lot less that he hopes for.
He is getting older, shows good stats… I mean he plays his cards the best way he can doesn’t he?
It only makes sense.
He’s picked up injuries at the points where seemed due to get a run of games.
Agents are such dicks…
Also, my money is on Lucas distancing himself from this (e.g. mistranslation, not actually my agent, blah blah blah). Otherwise would he feature in the squad again this season? I mean Pep outcast Yaya Toure for months until his agent apologised over something similar, and I don’t see Wenger being much different.
Well, this is disappointing news. I don’t know why Wenger isn’t playing him more, he’s been great for us.
Appreciate he’s been injured and his luck hasn’t been great, but…like you say the timing of his agent’s comments aren’t necessary especially as he can’t leave until summer.
What a shit show. Always looks dangerous when he’s on
he deserves minutes.. such a shame he won’t get it as long wenger is about.
He doesnt deserve this
If Iwobi can play that badly and still get picked ahead of him, why would he think he is ever going to get playing time?
If this is how his camp is acting during our lowest point in the season.. selfish for me. Good player, but come on mate
That was quick.
That’s what she said
I’ve liked him but feel he’s a proper midtable player. A Remy/Darren Bent type.
Useful squad player though.
Would like to see him play more often in place of some of the established “stars” who are not performing. Another Joel Campbell who plays well when given the chance but does not seem to fit the manager’s mould.
Good point that. Some players such as Walcott and The Ox can have terrible periods and keep getting chances, have never seen Perez do badly for us and Campbell was never too shoddy yet neither gets/got game time. Mystifying.
That’s a shame, can’t really blame him although I think this is horrible timing from the agent. An extremly useful player that should be used more.
Run Joel! as far away from this club as you can!
er… wait … what?
Poor form from the agent if this is the case. Think its a death sentence if true for poor Lucas.
This is Joel Campbell #2. Holding the support and hope of the fans but unable to break into the team. Promising much but never quite setting the pitch on fire.
But wanting to leave at all costs? Don’t let the door hit you on the arse as you leave
Not sure I agree. 6 goals and 6 assists with the bit part role he has played is almost the definition of setting the pitch on fire.
The problem is Wenger’s go to formation and constantly accommodating Ozil in the number 10 role even tho he has been practically useless this season.
practically useless?
great opinion. sounds intelligent not biased at all.
Lucas is the new Lucas (Poldolski).
In Wenger treatment terms anyway.
Fucking hell. Hope this is just agent bullshit. I love Lucas!
Can’t believe that here are people who take every opportunity to insult our manager who has dedicated 20 years of his life to this club but get completely behind a player who is bitching around that he’s not playing enough after a few months at the club and several injury problems. We really have the most embarrassing fan base around.
Can’t blame the lad for looking to go.
When an article starts with ‘His agent says…’, always remember to take it with a big pinch of salt or general recognition that it’s most likely poker talk. Sad to see fans either spit on Wenger or Lucas in the comments following a story like this. Spit on the agent(s) freely though.
Wenger has lost the press. He lost it when he went unbeaten a year after they ridiculed him for that belief. they hated him shoving their mockery up their holes. If you look around the football sites and newspaper sites there is no other story. The media lead corrosion has been eating away at the individual and collective spirit of the players, the team and the supporters.. i dont know if its recoverable. i doubt it. The truth is that given the ownership and transition from highbury – no one could have realistically done better than wenger over the last… Read more »
Totally agree with you re getting rid of The Krankies, we need owners with vision and cohonas, a desire that matches the fans.
We need the same passion that both anti and pro Wenger sides combined to get Stan out…
I’m glad you brought up the owner. His other sports teams he owns suck too. They all probably bring in a profit at the end of the season but they suck.
I can’t imagine him ever selling the club. Why would he sell it? He makes a nice profit and the equity in the club has probably almost doubled smh
I would like to Perez upfront with Sanchez out left, Özil on the right like he used to at Real Madrid many times and the Ox in the 10 position, or Wilshere if he was here.
This is so unprofessional from both him and his agent. He’s been restricted through injury, which isn’t exactly the club’s fault. Even if he is lower in Wenger’s pecking order than his performances would merit, it’s spineless and shameless to then go public and complain about the club he’s representing. The club continues to pay his wages, and bringing this sort of dissent into the ranks mid-season is not at all productive. Also, sticking the knife in by saying that he wants to go play for a ‘big club’ – get over yourself, mate. You’re at one of the top… Read more »
People are comparing his situation to other players that have been benched, but that isn’t a fair comparison. Perez was bought this season to compete for first team football. He has scored and set up goals but never is given the chance to start. We didn’t have to buy him. Now this looks like we have pissed money up the wall as pissed off a decent player.
Don’t forget he’s wearing jersey no. 9
Please, he is way better than Joel Campbell. Lucas has to look out for his own career, if he feels it is elsewhere then sorry to see him go. this is not the first time Wenger has bought a player then inexplicably parked him in the reserves.
I would have liked to see him through the middle with Sanchez behind in the No 10 role against Bayern with Ozil benched.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Wenger has prioritized home-grown mediocracy ahead of foreign talent…
There’s two sides to every story and funnily enough we’re only hearing the one that’ll generate clicks.
I hope he stays, he’s been effective when he’s played but he’ll do well to displace the “established” names. Personally, I think he’s done enough to warrant more game time than he’s had so far and looks more of a threat than Walcott and Iwobi.
I expect there’s a good reason why he’s not played so much, but we’re unlikely to find that out.
I hope this is untrue and I hope that it is only the agent making unauthorised comments for his own agenda . . . but . . . it’s not the first time a No. 9, called Lucas/Lukas, playing for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger has been left out in the cold, is it, eh ?
All I’m saying is it is a coincidence and it would be utterly ridiculous to assume there is any connection and that Wenger dislikes players called Lucas/Lukas who wear the No.9 shirt.
I have no idea how or why Lucas hasn’t been getting more game time. He seems way more productive than either Walcott or Iwobi and I’m not surprised he’s pissed off. I have been really impressed with him every time he has played and it seems I’m not the only one. He can shoot, score and assist and he is a real trier as well. I really like him!
Ozil and Perez’s agents starting to pipe up now….
They know this ship is sinking.
He should have been playing ahead of iwobi.. Iwobs has been good but he’s not quite a winger?
and the striker Lucas Perez is?
Iwobi has been one of the shining lights of the season.
We all have no idea what we want – the efficient and productive Giroud isn’t good enough instead we want the inefficient and often wasteful Sanchez.
lucas coming in from the right is the quickest way in.
I would play
Ospina
bellerin Kos Holding Monreal
Elneny Xhaka
Iwobi
Lucas Sanchez
Giroud
Bench
Ozil
Walcott
Coq
Mustafi
Cech
Maitland Niles
Ox
and i’d drop sanchez next game and play welbeck
SMH Iwobi for Ozil?
Well. i like the guy, but this is a totally unprofessional way to handle things. Agents, at the end of the day work for their clients and not the other way round, and so there is no agent that will go mouthing off on a topical issue relating to their client in public without their principal’s tacit agreement. Lucas knew about it and tacitly approved of the agent’s positing. My personal take on this is regardless of whether it was justified or not, we are the Arsenal and not some small town 2nd tier club and so no player should… Read more »
Walcott, Ramsey, the Ox…all play badly but get lots of game time. Perez and Campbell both, in my opinion, haven’t been given the game time their performances deserve. Don’t blame him for wanting to go!
He could potentially do a cracking job on the wing ahead of the inconsistent Walcott with a lot more defensive duties thrown in too.
Understand why he’d be disappointed, but this isn’t helpful. As always, when you choose someone to start, you choose someone not to start. It’s a version of the argument AW’s put forward consistently. In Lucas’ case, you’d presumably be swapping out Walcott/Ox (RW), Iwobi (LW), or Alexis/Giroud (CF). He would also have to be competent in tracking back to defend. So, sure, give him some more time. But, who shouldn’t be in the starting 11?
He definitely has quality and class, and it seems he has that winning mentality. Play him ffs!
None of our frontline players is better than Lucas except Sanches and still he didn’t beat them in the pecking order…That’s ridiculous!!!
Wenger likes to proof fans and the whole world wrong by choosing incompetent players over stars and keeping faith in them
Look @ the likes of Walcott Iwobi Giroud Ramsey(sometimes winger) and compare them to Lucas Perez
The lad is unfairly treaty just like Joe Campbell❤️
oh look. More bad news which probably isn’t true. We really have entered the eternal media shit funnel.
This entire situation hurts. It hurts because Lucas looks a decent player and I like seeing him come on. It hurts because other teams have players with issues but ours are the ones making back page headlines. It hurts because schneiderlin was treated like shit at manyoo but didn’t make headlines. Shweinsteigger (sp) is the same. It seems like half the media is saying Wenger must go, the other half saying careful what you wish for and all of them are mocking us because of the “superfans” on ATV that think they represent us but don’t at all. I just… Read more »
Reminds me of the Podolski situation. You buy an average striker to compete with another decent striker in Giroud(Chamakh and Bendtner).and you don’t play him…Wenger behaviour.
Podolski
He had me on his side until his agen said he wants to go to a “big” club. The c0ck!
It’s all poo media bullshit! So it seems. Was it the sun again? ?
The new Lukas Podolski.:D Really, this sounds like agent going fishing. He’s a good player Lucas but needed a bit of time to get up to pace. Even today agianst non-league, he lost the ball a number of occasions. But his work rate is good and he uses the ball intelligently. We need to see more of him on the pitch. As much as Walcott grabbed a goal today, not terribly convinced by Theo who tends to wait for the ball to come to him and despite being 27yrs still lacks a bit of guile with the ball. Lucas Perez,… Read more »