Following a summer in which West Ham United bid farewell to a whole host of veterans – Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio and Kurt Zouma among them – a former Hammers striker has no plans to give up the ghost just yet even at the age of 37.
In fact, in the space of a few days, West Ham United bid farewell to six players who had amassed over 1,000 claret and blue appearances across a combined 35 years of service.
And after Sunderland and Chelsea put eight goals past Graham Potter’s beleaguered backline at the start of the new campaign, it’s no wonder former goalkeeper Rob Green wondered if a mistake had been made letting so much top-level nous depart.
Now, as reports claim that 40-year-old Lukasz Fabianski could make a shock return to London – rejoining the Hammers three months after bidding an emotional farewell – there is another seasoned free-agent who could yet extend his stroll through the autumn leaves of his own career.
Lucas Perez is without a club heading towards mid-September. But, with at least one offer on the table, the 37-year-old striker may return to the dancefloor for one last jig.
Former West Ham United striker Lucas Perez shares La Liga plan
Most recently seen in Dutch football, illness ruined Lucas Perez’s time at PSV Eindhoven.
The one-time Arsenal poacher played only 16 minutes in the Eredivisie on the back of that most unexpected of January moves. A bit-part role at best, as PSV overhauled Ajax to claim the league title on the final day.
The well-travelled Atletico Madrid academy graduate has now been offered the chance to add CD Castellon to a lengthy collection of clubs, as he aims to escape free-agency.
“I’m a big admirer of Lucas. [I have been] for a long time,” Castellon president Bob Voulgaris says, via Foot Boom. “He surely has many options, but we have a free spot and he’s still without a team.”
Lucas Perez represented Castellon’s Segunda rivals Deportivo La Coruna during the first half of last season. His decision to drop down to the second-tier, though, was one driven by his love for the fallen Galician giants.
With Castellon unable to offer the same emotional attachment, Voulgaris’ pursuit seems doomed to failure. Clearly, Perez still believes he can share a field with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski, albeit it should be pointed out that the evergreen Barcelona forward is 37 himself these days.
And, scorer of 42 goals last season, Lewandowski is living proof that age really is just a number.
“Are there any offers at the moment? I don’t know, my agent is in charge of that,” Perez tells Marca. “What I’m worried about is enjoying my holiday, getting away from it all, seeing my son, being with him, and, hey, maybe a new adventure will come up which I would really like.
“I’m really looking forward to it and have a lot of hope. Besides, I’m keeping in shape.
“I would like to play in La Liga, return to the [top] Spanish league. Yes, I would like that. I think that would be my main goal. But anyway, like I’m telling you, you never know where you might end up tomorrow.”
Lucas Perez loved playing alongside Michail Antonio at West Ham
Not quite a slamming down of the shutters, then, but clearly a Castellon outfit which finished five places off the bottom in the Segunda is far from Lucas Perez’s preferred destination.
One of the most talismanic forwards in La Liga during his first spell with Deportivo la Coruna a decade ago, Lucas Perez turned down Sevilla and Real Betis in favour of joining West Ham in 2018.
And while his time in East London was relatively forgettable – only three Premier League goals in 18 appearances – Lucas Perez recalls his time alongside Michail Antonio fondly even if the converted-wideman was often the player who kept him out of the Hammers XI.
“Michael Antonio is a great colleague of mine and a friend,” Perez told El After de Post United. “I am very happy about his recovery [from that December car crash] because he is a wonderful person. I’m very happy that he was able to recover because it gave me a huge scare.
“Antonio is built like a wardrobe! The player with the physique that I was [most] amazed by. How can he run at that speed with those muscles? He has muscles that I didn’t even know existed!
“How can he be so strong?”
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