Lucas Paqueta has been made an enormous impact on West Ham since he arrived from Lyon in 2022.
The Brazilian has scored 15 goals and created 14 others in 97 first-team appearances, including notching the assist for Jarrod Bowen’s 90th minute Europa Conference League winning goal in June 2023.
Despite often blowing hot and cold, especially this season, it would be fair to say he has been worth every penny of the £51m the Hammers paid for him.
But his inconsistency and the fact he’s still facing gambling charges by the FA, which are so serious they could lead to a lifetime ban from the game, means he remains a problem that just won’t go away for West Ham.
Those FA charges were announced at a time when it was expected that Paqueta would be sold to Manchester City for £85m. Obviously that deal collapsed as a result and now, West Ham are anxiously waiting for the outcome of his case while simultaneously dealing with the fact his off field issues are impacting his performances.
It’s a problem for both West Ham and Lucas Paqueta, and it’s just not going away.
Paqueta replacement lined up
It appears West Ham are scouring the market for an imminent replacement, and The Sun claim they are looking towards a player dubbed the ‘Salford Silva’ after Manchester City legend David Silva.
James McAtee impressed immensely over two loan spells with Sheffield United but has spent much of this season as an unused substitute in Pep Guardiola’s team. The 22-year-old has played just one minute of Premier League football this term and appeared in just two of City’s four Champions League fixtures.
The attacking midfielder is widely considered to be a top talent, which is explained by the comparisons with David Silva, but that talent is being wasted on the bench, even if it is at the best team in the world.
Sooner or later he is going to have to leave the club in order to fulfil his full potential, just like many other City youngsters have done before him – Morgan Rogers, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, James Trafford, Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap are just a few names who opted to leave the Etihad to flourish elsewhere.
Meanwhile, The Sun’s report claims West Ham are prioritising the attacking midfield position as an area to strengthen in the January transfer window, and McAtee is the player they are most interested in bringing to London Stadium.
McAtee fits West Ham’s profile
When Julen Lopetegui arrived at West Ham he stated that he planned to build a young and hungry squad of players, but after a squad churn of nine players in and 12 out in the summer, the average age of the team is the oldest in the Premier League at 28.7 – and that’s with one of the smallest squad sizes in the division.
So replacing a 27-year-old, and all the problems that come with that particular individual, with a 22-year-old with lots of hunger and potential, makes total sense and fits the manifesto laid out by Lopetegui and Tim Stiedten in the summer.
The report claims it would take at least £20m, probably more, to prise McAtee away from the Etihad.
However, with Paqueta reportedly wanted by Brazilian Botafogo, any money from his departure should cover whatever it costs for Man City to agree to sell their young star.
It’s fair to say West Ham’s chances of getting £85m for the attacking midfielder are over, but it’s also not beyond the realms of possibility that we’ll get at least half of that for his signature.
That would roughly represent a break even point on the deal that brought Paqueta to east London in the first place and, even if it’s a slight loss, that would still go down as a fantastic piece of business for the club given the impact he’s had on the famous claret and blue.
