OPINION
Ayoze Perez gets a lot of stick from Newcastle United fans, and not without reason.
The Spaniard can be a frustrating play to watch. Often he is wasteful in possession, or overly ambitious in his attempts to run at defenders and for a side that are continuously battling at the bottom of the Premier League table, he can, for the most part, seem like a luxury.
And yet Rafa Benitez continues to pick him anyway.
As mystifying as that might be, it becomes a lot clearer when stats are brought into the equation.
As reported in the FourFourTwo‘s list of the top 100 Premier League bargains of all time – a list in which Perez was listed at number 92 – the forward is a vital part of a barren Magpies attack.
The article reads: “Perez doesn’t turn many heads, but in a low-scoring side he averaged a goal or assist every other league game last season – a better rate than Messrs Shaqiri and Zaha, among others – while only five other players outside the ‘big six’ clubs contributed more in 2018.”
That level of contribution is staggering, and rather unexpected when you take into consideration his reputation as a player.
The fact of the matter is that for all he represents a common gripe amongst the Toon army faithful, Perez is one of a select few players in their squad who can produce moments of magic when the going gets tough.
He may not do it every week, and there is no question that there are aspects of his game that need vast improvement, be when all is said and done, Perez is a threat.
He might be infuriating at times, but in a team typically so bereft of invention and creativity, it’s little wonder that he continues to get his chance under Benitez.