Ian Bishop says he feels sorry for Lucas Paqueta at West Ham and has raised serious questions about the club’s recruitment.
When West Ham signed the silky Brazil midfield star Lucas Paqueta for a club record £51m last summer the excitement was palpable.
West Ham fans have been calling Paqueta their ‘Brazilian magnifico’ ever since he arrived at the club from Lyon.
But the truth is until more recently he had done little on the pitch to justify that moniker from the Hammers faithful.
Paqueta has been one of West Ham’s best players during their recent revival.
The midfielder admitted it has not been easy since joining the club. But Paqueta declared he has “100 per cent adapted to the Premier League”.
David Moyes responded to those comments by telling him he has ‘a lot more to improve on’.
With West Ham chasing the game in the 4-3 defeat to Palace at the weekend, Moyes substituted Paqueta much to the bemusement of Hammers fans.
Supporters found the substitution bizarre given Paqueta is one of the few West Ham players capable of creating and scoring goals from open play right now.
Moyes admits creativity concerns
Moyes even admitted after the game he is worried by his side’s lack of creativity in open play.
Now one former Hammers star who knew all about combining silky touches with the ability to get stuck in has had his say.
Ian Bishop feels sorry for Paqueta at West Ham and has raised serious questions about the club’s recruitment.
Bishop questioned Moyes’ tactics and decision to sub off striker Michail Antonio in the match.
Now he says Paqueta must be wondering why West Ham signed him in he summer.
Ian Bishop feels sorry for Lucas Paqueta at West Ham and raises serious questions about recruitment
“Paqueta must be wondering why he was bought,” Bishop said on Twitter.
“We have had a much more negative approach to begin games.
“To buy a playmaker in a counter attacking system says there is something either wrong with recruitment or the tactics, which have fear written all over them.This season anyway.”
You will be hard pressed to find a West Ham fan who doesn’t agree.
And Bishop makes a salient point about the recruitment.
Cynics would say West Ham only signed Paqueta in the summer because Lyon were – by their president’s own admission – hawking him out to clubs in a desperate bid to raise money and avoid FFP sanctions.
Supporters were disappointed by the return to type and Moyes’ risk averse tactics against Palace.
West Ham fans can only hope that was down to fatigue with work still to do to stay up.
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