Arsene Wenger will go down as arguably the greatest manager in Arsenal’s history, leading the club to three Premier League titles as well as seven FA Cup wins.
The Frenchman brought the likes of Thierry Henry, Marc Overmars, and Sol Campbell to the club over the years, presiding over a fruitful period at Arsenal.
He wasn’t without his faults, however, especially during the last few years of his reign, signing players who weren’t up to the required standard.
One such move occurred in the summer of 2016 for a striker who went on to flop at the Emirates…
Wenger had a nightmare over Lucas Perez
Arsenal signed Spanish striker Perez from Deportivo La Coruna six years ago for a fee of £17m as Wenger looked to bolster his attacking options.
Perez had scored 24 La Liga goals in the previous three seasons and made the move to London in order to experience the Champions League.
21 appearances and just seven goals followed during his one and only season at Arsenal, a far cry from the strike rate that Wenger had anticipated when splashing out close to £20m for the player.
Perez cost Arsenal £2.4m per goal and despite the club winning the FA Cup that season (he didn’t make it off the bench) it was an uninspiring season for the side.
The Spaniard wasn’t given a second chance, being loaned to former club Deportivo, where he scored eight La Liga goals, before joining fellow Premier League side West Ham United in 2018 on a three-year contract.
He couldn’t prove Wenger wrong, however, finding the net just six times in his solitary campaign at West Ham.
His career has petered out since then, with the lightweight striker currently back in LaLiga with Cadiz, where he has scored just one goal so far this season.
It's fair to say signing Perez wasn’t one of Wenger’s finest moves at the club and the mere mention of his name will send shivers down the spines of the Arsenal faithful.