Leicester City may regret transfer decision as forward surpasses Kylian Mbappe

Ayoze Perez celebrates scoring his second goal for Villarreal against Espanyol, and his sixth of the season
-Credit: (Image: Eric Alonso/Getty Images)


Leicester City may regret their decision to let Ayoze Perez leave on a free transfer as his career goes from strength to strength in Spain.

A bit-part player for the final two seasons of his City career, Perez was released by the club in 2023, joining Real Betis. Eleven goals in all competitions, including a late-season run of scoring form, earned him a place in Spain’s victorious Euro 2024 squad, and secured him a €4m (£3.5m) transfer to Villarreal.

There, he’s made a superb start to the season. The 31-year-old has scored six goals in seven La Liga appearances, with only four of those starts, coming at a rate of a goal every 69 minutes. A brace against Espanyol on Thursday night not only earned his side a 2-1 victory to keep them fourth in the table, but saw him leap up to second in the division’s scoring charts.

READ MORE:Leicester City predicted line-up v Arsenal with change expected but two favourites left out

READ MORE:The three changes Steve Cooper must make to earn Leicester City their first win

That means he’s now ahead of Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona winger Raphinha, who both have five each. Only Robert Lewandowski, on seven, sits ahead of the former City forward.

Six goals for Perez so far is just two shy of his season’s best tally at City, when he scored eight in his maiden campaign for the club, following a £30m switch from Newcastle. A regular on the right wing initially, Perez also started the FA Cup final in his second season, the Spaniard preferred to James Maddison in the number 10 slot behind Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho.

But Perez’s inconsistency, plus the rise of Maddison and Harvey Barnes, plus the loan arrival of Ademola Lookman in 2021, gradually saw him pushed to the fringes of the squad. In 21-22, he started just 11 games in all competitions, but was still able to make an occasional telling contribution, most notably in the Europa Conference League quarter-final against PSV Eindhoven.

In 22-23, City’s relegation season, he made only three Premier League starts in the first half of the campaign, and spent the second half, and the final six months of his City contract, on loan at Real Betis. In all he scored 15 goals in 114 games for City, a tally he matched in 59 outings for Betis. He’s now well on his way to reaching that mark much more quickly with Villarreal.

Did City use Perez effectively during his time at the club? Click HERE to have your say.