The Spain national team is planning to scout Ayoze Perez and this could play out well for Newcastle United.
Just one week after it was reported that Spain asked Rafa Benitez to take charge in the 2018 World Cup, it seems as though Ayoze Perez is now on Spain’s radar. Newcastle United have a young squad with plenty of potential to earn call-ups to various national teams.
Last season, there was a big debate regarding Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey. Newcastle supporters and most neutral pundits were promoting the idea of the two Magpies playing for England. In the end, Gareth Southgate had other ideas and excluded Lascelles and Shelvey from his list.
With that being said, Ayoze Perez has a chance to fulfill his dream of playing for his country. Spain sending a scout to analyze Perez in action is great news for him as a player, but it also benefits the club.
Playing with Confidence
The fact that Perez was Newcastle’s top scorer last season with eight goals caught the attention of Luis Enrique. In fact, Perez has improved his form each season with Newcastle. In total, Perez has scored 21 goals and completed 7 assists in 106 Premier League appearances for the Magpies.
Enrique seems to be impressed and intrigued by Perez’s impressive form at the age of 24. This interest from Spain will greatly benefit Newcastle as their attacking midfielder will enter the 2018-19 campaign with fresh confidence.
There is still time for Newcastle to bring in new talent up top, but if deals are not sealed by August 9th, the Magpies will turn to Perez to score more goals. Listed below are Perez’s primary statistics since arriving at Newcastle:
- 2014/15 – 7 goals, 0 assists
- 2015/16 – 6 goals, 2 assists
- 2016/17 – 9 goals, 6 assists (EFL Championship)
- 2017/18 – 8 goals, 5 assists
Double-Digit Goals?
The expectation for Perez this season is to be among the top scorers for the club once again. With Perez averaging seven goals a season for Newcastle in the Premier League, Benitez can will hope that Perez can increase that tally to at least ten.
With fresh interest from Spain, Perez will definitely play with more urgency and motivation as he supports the front-line. It will be interesting to see whether this interest from Spain will have an impact on Perez’s form this season.