Newcastle’s League Cup clash with Leicester has an extra layer to it as Ayoze Perez heads back to St James’ Park for the first time since leaving.
The Spaniard ended his Magpies career this summer, joining the Foxes for £30 million. Perez was a polarising figure in black and white, with some fans criticising his every move while others defended him to the hills.
But the fact remains, Perez was our top scorer last season, firing in a career best 12 Premier League goals.
He’s yet to score in Leicester colours though, starting all three of the Foxes Premier League games so far. Brendan Rodgers’ side are undefeated, beating Sheffield United and picking up draws against Wolves and Chelsea.
The League Cup tie will be a tough one for Newcastle, who will be desperate to advance to the next round, kick on after Sunday’s win over Tottenham and get one over their former teammate Perez.
And ahead of the game, the forward posted this message on his official Twitter account: “Training hard this week. We begin a competition and we do in Newcastle, it will be a special day for me!”
It’s fair to say the response has been very mixed from Toon supporters. There are those who want him to get a good reception when he returns, while others are begging him not to score and celebrate with his trademark ‘fingers in ears’.
Newcastle fans respond to Ayoze Perez’s pre-match Tweet
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