Red-hot Lucas Perez failed to make an impact at either Arsenal or West Ham

If you asked fans who has been the most efficient striker in Europe so far this season, it's hard to imagine a single one would come back with the name Lucas Perez.

The Spaniard failed to make an impact at either Arsenal or West Ham, convincing supporters of little other than a decent left foot during brief his spells which each club.

He became an unsurprising victim Manuel Pellegrini's forwards cull in the summer, joining Alaves for £2.5m after just one forgetful season at the London Stadium.

However, Perez has quickly put his struggles in England behind him, finding the net in Spain with a regularity that will no doubt leave both the Gunners and Hammers faithful a little perplexed.

His penalty in last Saturday's 3-0 win over Real Valladolid means the 31-year-old has now scored a goal in each of his last seven La Liga matches, also contributing two assists along the way.

Those numbers are impressive enough in isolation but they become more so when you look at the limited amount of chances he has been getting to feed off.

In fact, no player player in Europe has been more clinical this season, Perez currently boasting a shot conversion rate of 46.1 per cent.

The Premier League's top goalscorer, Jamie Vardy, is just behind him, converting at a rate of 45.5 per cent so far this term.

It's not just the amount of goals Perez has been scoring that has caught the eye, but also the manner in which he has been scoring them.

A fine left-footed finish at home to Celta Vigo was followed by a well-executed bicycle kick away to Villarreal.

But it was the strike at Atletico Madrid that really made fans sit up and take notice.

His side 1-0 down with six minutes to go, Perez picked up the ball on the right, well over 30 yards from goal.

The forward proceeded to shrug off the challenges of three Atletico players as he made his way to the edge of the box before firing a stunning effort into the top left corner to snatch a point for his side.

It was the sort of goal that earned him his £17m move to Arsenal three years ago after a campaign in which he scored 19 times in 39 appearances for Deportivo.

The Spaniard never settled at the Emirates, injuries playing their part as he started just two Premier League games.

However, signs of his efficiency were there, Perez contributing seven goals and five assists in just 1038 minutes of total playing time.

Opportunities were limited again at West Ham, Pellegrini never giving the player a consistent run in the side.

But a look at his form this season suggests that perhaps the under-fire Hammers boss should have done.

Perez started slowly, failing to net in any of his first six games for before suddenly catching fire.

West Ham, meanwhile, currently sit 16th with just three wins form their opening 12 games.

They will surely be wondering if they should have put a little more faith in Perez and given him more of a chance to find this kind of form.