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Newcastle United: Expectations for Ayoze Perez next season

By Durim Halimi

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 07: Ayoze Perez of Newcastle United celebrates victory after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 7, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 07: Ayoze Perez of Newcastle United celebrates victory after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on April 7, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) /
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Ayoze Perez was one of the most reliable players for Newcastle United last season. Will Perez be able to maintain his strong form this season?

Ayoze Perez’s form in the 2017-18 campaign was a pleasant surprise for Newcastle United and the Toon Army. Perez was always recognized as a talented player with plenty of potential, but he exceeded his reputation by becoming the leading goal-scorer for the club.

Dwight Gayle and Joselu were expected to lead the Magpies in scoring last season, but they only combined for ten goals. Perez, on the other end, maintained consistent form as he scored eight goals for Newcastle.

Moreover, at the young age of 24, Perez has now made 106 appearances for Newcastle in the Premier League. With this experience comes a new set of expectations and more responsibility. With that being said, what expectations should the Magpies set for Perez next season?

Top Three Scorer

No one expected Perez to emerge as the club’s leading scorer last season and he should not be expected to score the most goals this coming season. Perez’s goals last season were much appreciated due to the scoring woes from Dwight Gayle and Joselu, but this season should be different.

The Magpies have been linked to several strikers this summer and this bodes well for the possibility of landing at least one target. Seeing Perez score eight goals last season is reassuring as the Magpies know they can turn to him when needed.

However, a more realistic expectation for Perez is to finish among the top three scorers of the club. With less pressure on his shoulders, we should expect Perez to have a balanced stat line of multiple goals and assists.

Defensive Action

Even though Perez plays in an attacking role behind the front-line, he is expected to be more active defensively. He enjoyed the praise of offensive consistency last season, but he must improve defensively.

During the 2017-18 campaign, Perez only recorded a mere 39 tackles and intercepted 24 passes. For a player who made 36 appearances last season, those defensive statistics are not impressive. Perez can rely on Mohamed Diame, Jonjo Shelvey and Ki Sung-yueng to make the most defensive stops, but he must be more active defensively.

Preview: 2018-19 Statistics

Ayoze Perez was a great contributor for the Magpies last season and he will be expected to pick up where he left off. Perez will get plenty of playing time in the 2018-19 campaign and he will look to utilize those minutes to create more scoring chances. Overall, here is the stat line I predict for Perez this coming season:

  • Goals: Eight
  • Assists: Six
  • Passes: 1,300
  • Passes Per Match: 34