It's all a bit of a mess isn't it, Perez has become some sort of brilliant driver because he won in Bahrain.
Where was Albon that day?
Perez has been shone since his debut in 2011 and certainly since Malaysia 2012. It obviously didn't work out at McLaren, but he's shown increasing brilliance since, peaking this year, despite contracting COVID-19 and missing two races.
He's not a top tier driver, and thus far his career has been more Heinz-Harold Frentzen than Lewis Hamilton, but don't forget Frentzen came close to winning a title in a Jordan that ought to have had no chance of even getting to close to challenging for one. Obviously it's a different era and that wouldn't happen now, but it gives a hint at how valuable a consistent driver can be given the opportunity.
Being in a position to mess with Mercedes' strategy and averaging a 4th-place finish will be all Red Bull ask of him. He might not start like that, but given the chance he should be there by mid-season.