Lucas Perez is available, and Newcastle United should be his destination

Much has been made about the fact that Newcastle United can’t keep up with the insane spending taking place in this transfer window. After all, 17th place in the 2016-17 fetched Watford a cool £108.5 million. Newcastle United made a fraction of that for winning the Championship.

One of the biggest concerns among Toon supporters has been the lack of a solidified striker brought in over the summer. Dwight Gayle was clinical against Championship adversaries last season, but it’s a huge step up to the Premiership, and the position on the team sheet seems to be a bit thin.

However, there’s a player that’s been said to be available that not only would be within Newcastle United’s budget, but could fill the obvious void in attack.

Lucas Perez is the name, and Newcastle United need to find a way to get him in before the Spurs match on 13 August.

Perez has bounced around quite a bit in his career, always flashing potential but never finding a place to flourish. However, in the 2015-16 season, he showed what he was capable of, scoring 17 goals in 35 starts with La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna. The successful season was enough for him to earn a move to a Champions League side in Arsenal.

A Spanish striker, he should relish the opportunity to work with Rafael Benitez and possibly take his game to the next level. Furthermore, the lack of matches he encountered at Arsenal last season should be more than enough reason for him to want a move.

When Arsenal brought in Alexander Lacazette for £42.4m, the writing should have been on the wall for Perez. His comments about feeling “cheated” by Arsene Wenger last week tell us all we need to know.

Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images

There are plenty of times a player earns a move to a massive club, only to find a lack of consistent playing time when they arrive. If they don’t have tremendous success right away, they are usually cast aside and never get another chance. Falcao and Juan Cuadrado at Chelsea, Victor Janssen at Spurs, and Batshuayi at Chelsea are a few in recent memory. Those players may be better off playing for a club like West Ham, Newcastle United, or Everton, rather than jumping to a top 6 club and not featuring at all.

As for Rafael Benitez, this would be a move of intent. He’s done tremendously well thus far, buying low-cost, talented players keen on playing for the Magpies, but the supporters need that final jolt of excitement to feel they’re really pushing on.

If NUFC were able to spend £12 on Jacob Murphy, who has never played a Premier League minute, surely they can afford to spend just a bit more for a player Arsenal spent £17.1m on only a year ago.

Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

Surely other clubs will be in for Perez at that price, but Newcastle need to sell him on what he’ll be getting by coming to Tyneside: a world-class manager, consistent Premier League minutes, and a fan base that is second to none.

If Newcastle United can close a deal on a Lucas Perez, it will not only calm the worries about their investments in transfers, but will give them the attacking firepower to set their sights higher for the 2017-18 season.