Former Gunner Lucas Perez is joining Arsenal’s upcoming Champions League opponents PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer, but he won’t be able to face his former club.
Matteo Moretto reports that Lucas Perez is set to sign for PSV Eindhoven on a short-term deal until June. Perez is currently a free agent, so there are no other clubs involved in negotiations, and he’s available to sign for PSV even though the transfer deadline has passed.
Yet Arsenal fans worried about their old player coming back to haunt them in the last-16 of the Champions League need not be concerned.
The Champions League regulations are clear that three additions can be made to each squad ahead of the knockout stages, but the deadline for such changes is Thursday, February 6th. Perez’s move is coming long after that deadline, so he can’t be added to PSV’s squad.
Perez could still have an indirect impact on the Arsenal tie, perhaps playing in their coming games against the Go Ahead Eagles and allowing a regular starter a rest ahead of the game against the Gunners.
But he can’t play in the Champions League for PSV this season, against Arsenal or any other potential opponent further down the line.
The 36-year-old was most recently on the books for Deportivo de La Coruna, scoring four goals and assisting a further four in 20 appearances in the Spanish second tier and the Copa del Rey this season.
But Deportivo cancelled Perez’s contract in January, making him available for this PSV move.
Perez played 21 times for Arsenal, scoring seven goals and assisting a further five. His best night in an Arsenal shirt surely came in the Champions League, when he scored a hat-trick against FC Basel in 2016.