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Arsenal reportedly wanted to keep Perez as they feared another striker’s exit

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Arsenal striker Lucas Perez would have remained at the Emirates this season if the club had sold Olivier Giroud as planned, according to BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein.

Writing on his Twitter feed in the last of couple of days, Ornstein revealed how a number of players were touted to clubs and agents such as Carl Jenkinson, Calum Chambers, Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny and Kieran Gibbs, and that Giroud was also one of the names that Wenger thought would leave.

Later in the summer, Wenger publicly stated that he wanted the Frenchman to stay, and the player himself then confirmed he was going to remain at the Emirates despite links to French clubs Lyon and Marseille. After the u-turn, it seems Perez was then allowed to leave for Deportivo on deadline day.

His agent had been sounding off as early as May about the Spaniard leaving, and the switching of Perez’s number nine shirt to new signing Alexandre Lacazette was said to have been the last straw for the 28 year old. Yet, it seems Arsene Wenger may have kept him even after all of that if Giroud had decided to leave.

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