The Lucas Paqueta situation at West Ham United drags on.
Indeed, Paqueta wants to leave West Ham and re-join Flamengo, with whom he began his professional career.
Though clearly a talented player, Hammers News subscribers on TalkingPoints seem to be on board with the idea of selling him.
How much money would it take for you to sell Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
When asked who they’d rather keep between the Brazilian and Callum Wilson, West Ham fans urged the club to sell Paqueta.
The situation remains at an impasse, however, and Paqueta won’t be playing for the Hammers against Sunderland on Saturday.
After a second rejected bid, more insight has emerged.
West Ham want Lucas Paqueta back on loan if they agree Flamengo deal
According to Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, West Ham have rejected a second offer from the Brazilian club for Paqueta.
One of the major sticking points is that the Hammers would like Paqueta to stay at the club for the rest of the season on loan if they are to agree to a sale.
It’s difficult to see what that achieves, however.
Why would we keep an unhappy player 😂
What does this tell you about the decision making behind the scenes?!
Clearly, Paqueta is pushing to leave West Ham. What keeping him around just for the sake of it does is unclear.
Though there’s little denying his talent, he just hasn’t done enough this season – and that was before the major transfer news broke.
West Ham do not need Paqueta, he is a luxury they can currently afford to do without.
Keeping an unhappy player cannot do much for team morale during a relegation scrap.
What Nuno has said about Lucas Paqueta’s West Ham future
Nuno Espirito Santo needs players he can count on right now.
However, it’s clear that Paqueta’s future is currently the biggest story at West Ham.
As such, it wasn’t particularly surprising that Nuno was asked about the midfielder’s immediate future when conducting his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s game with Sunderland.
Nuno again stressed that he was just hopeful that the club and Paqueta could come to an acceptable solution.
“The situation is the same as last week,” he said. “I hope the club and the player find a solution.
“All the things that have happened in the past have created problems. Now that’s finished, I hope we all can find a solution.”
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