At last, we’ve got a new goalkeeper – possibly the most urgent position that we needed to strengthen this summer and we could do a lot worse than Lucas Perri who has signed from Lyon for what I think is superb business at an initial £15.6 million.
Like so many other clubs did to us a couple of decades ago when we looked in financial peril, we have repeated this, with Lyon having been almost forced down a tier due to a debt of in excess of £160 million. The club won its appeal earlier this month, having managed to raise enough funds to stay in the French top tier, following the sale of its biggest players.
Perri was one of the club’s top performers – a prized asset in fact and, we’ve pulled off what I think is another masterstroke to land what could turn out to be the first of a few Brazilian players this summer.
He also fits the profile of our new spine that we have worked on substantially this summer, with this seemingly been in need of a lot of surgery to be ‘Premier League ready’ – each of our defensive recruits are over 6 feet and Perri stands at an impressive 6,4 – three centimetres taller than fellow signing Anton Stach (also 6,4).
In fairness, Perri is the same height as Illan Meslier, though is somewhat of an upgrade – far more imposing with an intimidating presence and overall – a better goalkeeper and less to prone to errors.
What Can We Expect From Perri?
I’m definitely a lot more confident about our defensive situation for this season and I think Perri will be a key contributor. With Meslier, I was always nervous – especially last time we were in the Premier League, but Perri seems to be a top operator.
I think he’ll considerably elevate and improve our in-box defence, with his strong command of the penalty area, which will be key in games where we really need to absorb pressure. Especially against lesser opposition, we could get away with playing a higher line because he is comfortable with the ball at his feet – his short passing being a promising factor.
While I probably would have preferred Serbian powerhouse, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, once Napoli entered the race, we didn’t stand a chance, but, on balance, I’m happy with the signing of Perri.
He also is the last addition to our defensive spine as well, which I think looks very solid after a brilliant summer overhaul that has included the signings of towering centre-backs, Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw and midfield monster Stach plus others. Compared to Meslier, I think he is going to be considerable upgrade, especially based on the stats below.
| 2024/25 Metrics | Lucas Perri | Illan Meslier |
|---|---|---|
| Matches/minutes | 33/2970 | 39/3510 |
| Clean sheets | 10 (30%) | 21 (54%) |
| Goals conceded/90 mins | 1.33 | 0.69 |
| Total saves/90 mins | 3.5 | 1.6 |
| Save % | ~73.74% | ~70-72% |
| Goals prevented/PSxG difference | 6.05 | -0.01 |
| Aerial duels win percentile | 74th | – |
| Interceptions percentile | 82nd | – |
| Errors leading to goals | 1 | 3 |
| Distribution (short/long) | 74%/36% | ~79% / (medium ~99%) |
A couple of Meslier’s numbers are better than Perri’s though you need to take into account that he was playing in a league that had weaker opposition in terms of output, talent and capabilities, but on balance, Perri will be a considerable improvement.
