It's funny how things turn out. A few months ago, Arsenal fans were cursing their failure to land Leicester City's Jamie Vardy. However, manager Arsene Wenger's failure to land Vardy has to be regarded as one of the key factors in Arsenal's success this season. Had Vardy joined, Arsenal fans might never have enjoyed the brilliance of Alexis Sanchez at centre-forward -- and they certainly wouldn't have borne witness to Lucas Perez's hat trick against Basel.
Make no mistake: Lucas was signed as an alternative to Vardy. When Wenger opted for the Spaniard as a backup plan for the England international, most fans were decidedly nonplussed. However, despite injuries and a lack of opportunities, Lucas has amassed more than double the number of competitive goals Vardy has scored this season.
That said, it hasn't been an entirely successful start to Lucas' time in English football. He started his first match after signing, a laboured 2-1 win over Southampton. However, that remains his only Premier League start to date. He was granted runouts in the EFL Cup but has not been a big part of Wenger's plans in other competitions.
Alexis' success in the centre has cost him dearly. When Lucas arrived at Arsenal, he was handed the No. 9 shirt and with it the expectation he might be used as the team's focal point. Instead, he's been used largely as an expensive backup. When Olivier Giroud returned to fitness, looking as effective as ever, it appeared Lucas might be pushed out of the first-team picture.
Injury hasn't helped. Lucas picked up an ankle problem after a clumsy challenge in the EFL Cup tie with Reading and was sent back to Spain to recover. He worked incredibly hard and returned ahead of schedule. Clearly, he is determined to make his mark in English football.
When chances have come his way, he has invariably performed well. His numbers are startlingly good -- in eight appearances in all competitions, he's accumulated five goals and two assists. Three of those, of course, came against Basel. In Switzerland, Lucas excelled in the role on the right-hand side of the attack ordinarily occupied by Theo Walcott.
Lucas may have been bought to be a centre-forward, but versatility is a quality Wenger holds dear. Lucas offers greater flexibility than Vardy, having spent significant portions of his career operating on the flanks before ultimately finding his feet as a No. 9 with Deportivo La Coruna.
Wherever he plays, his nose for goal is obvious. He has that invaluable knack of being in the right place at the right time, which he showed during a prolific 2015-16 with modest Deportivo. Wenger spoke after the match in praise of Lucas' predatory instincts: "I think he took advantage of the fact that we created good chances. But he's a goal scorer, you know. He scored over 20 goals in Spain, and that is never a coincidence," Wenger told BT Sport. "So I think he has shown that tonight. that he has a good smell for the goal in the box."
Lucas' treble is well-timed. Danny Welbeck recently returned to training at London Colney and has reportedly targeted a comeback before the end of the year. The former Manchester United man's availability will only mean more competition in the Arsenal squad. It's a big boost for Lucas that he has managed to demonstrate his quality before being knocked yet further down the Arsenal pecking order.
The question now is: Will Wenger keep Lucas in the team for this weekend's Premier League match against Stoke? Lucas hasn't started a league match since early September, but it's a brave manager who would drop a player who scored a hat trick in the last game. Walcott has enjoyed a fantastic season, but it would send a strange message to relegate Lucas to the bench after his heroics in Basel.
The presence of Alexis, Giroud and soon Welbeck in the Arsenal squad means Lucas' chances as a central striker will always be limited. However, in Basel he showed that the right wing could be the right place for him to ply his trade.