Newcastle Toons
Fansided

2017-18 Newcastle United player review: Ayoze Perez

By Carson A Merk

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 07: Ayoze Perez of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 7, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 07: Ayoze Perez of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 7, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

One of Newcastle United’s most important players, Ayoze Perez had a stellar season for the Toon.

After a rough start to the year, Ayoze Perez became one of the most vital cogs for Newcastle United’s impressive Premier League campaign.

2017-18 stats: 36 appearances, club-best eight goals, club-best five assists (tied with Matt Ritchie)

Contract runs until: June 2021

Durim Halimi

Along with Mohamed Diame, Ayoze Perez was the most pleasant surprise of the season for Newcastle United. Perez led the club in scoring with seven goals and performed well for the Magpies against some elite opponents. At present, Perez leads Newcastle with his 106 Premier League appearances for the club. I expect that number to rise as he showed that he was an integral component to the club’s success in the 2017-18 campaign.

2018-19 outlook: Surefire starter

Carson A. Merk

I was massively critical of Ayoze Perez to start off this season. He continually made the wrong decision or a poor execution on the final ball for Newcastle United. His pairing his Joselu was tough to watch. But, he turned it around. He became Mr. Clutch when Newcastle United needed a goal or an assist. His work rate is always high and he should be playing with loads of confidence entering next season. With a better striker, we should see higher assist numbers.

2018-19 outlook: Surefire starter

Next: Adding Hernandez on a free transfer is a no-brainer

Declan Ryan

One of the few bright-spots in Newcastle’s attacking department, Ayoze led the club in both goals and assists last season, despite some inconsistency. At only 24 years old, the attacking midfielder has made over 100 appearances for the Magpies and has improved year by year. His ability to link the midfield to the attack as well as be a driving force on the counter has made him indispensable to Benitez’s current tactical system, and presuming Newcastle can upgrade the striker position Ayoze should have even greater success. There have been moments where the Spaniard has looked overwhelmed, but as new signings arrive to bolster the attack he should feel less pressure to carry the team going forward. He deserves his starting role for the foreseeable future.

2018-19 outlook: Surefire starter