Lucas Perez is targeting a Spanish national call-up after finally ending what can only be described as a disappointing time in England.

Lucas arrived at Arsenal from Deportivo La Coruna in 2016 for £18m. The Spanish side offered him a 10-year contract to try and get him to stay and, I bet, looking back, he wishes he’d taken it.

No matter what he did at Arsenal it seemed like he would never get a fair shake so it was no surprise to see him loaned back to his old club. Things there, however, went poorly and he returned to England to sign for West Ham for just under £4m.

If he’d hoped to get his career back on track with the Hammers, that never happened. He made just 19 appearances (scoring six) to add to the 21 he made for Arsenal (seven goals, six assists).

Despite only making his move across London last summer, Lucas has now signed for Alaves for just over £2m. He’s hoping, at the age of 30, that it will finally help him get into the Spanish national team for the first time.

“Going with the selection is a dream I have since childhood,” Lucas said. “Of course, I’m going to keep trying. If not, I would not be here. I have fulfilled many dreams. I was able to play for Deportivo de La Coruña, which I’ve always desired.

“Have left things very well and very badly. It was a stage closed. I was able to play in the Premier league, they paid a lot of money for me. And when I arrived for the first time to Vitoria with 15 years I did not believe that could happen.

“My biggest dream is to do it very well on my team and I would also like very much to be able to go to the Spanish selection”.

That might be a dream too far for the forward who represented the Galicia autonomous team in 2016.