Just when West Ham United thought the speculation surrounding Lucas Paqueta had been dispelled, it returned with a vengeance just days into the new Premier League campaign.
Lucas Paqueta breathed an almighty sigh of relief when he was finally acquitted on the back of a gruelling two-year spot-fixing trial in late-July.
The Brazil international issued an emotional ‘thank you’ to the West Ham United supporters and coaches who had stood by him as his world threatened to fall apart.
So, when Hammers News were informed that Lucas Paqueta looked likely to stay at West Ham beyond the summer – the phrase ‘unfinished business’ comes to mind regarding a footballer whose free-spirit stylings had been ground down by off-field pressures – it appeared that this long-running saga could be put to bed for a little while.
But maybe not.
Then came fresh reports, from the mouth of Fabrizio Romano, claiming that Paqueta was still ‘considering’ a fresh start away from the London Stadium after all.
So, as the uncertainty makes a very unwelcome return, who better than captain Jarrod Bowen to clarify things?
Jarrod Bowen backs Lucas Paqueta for a ‘really big season’ at West Ham United
Now, Bowen did not go as far as to confirm that Paqueta will be a West Ham player come September. He may be the club’s talisman on the pitch, but he does not control dealings in the boardroom.
Yet, as far as Bowen is concerned, Paqueta does not appear to be a man ready to down tools and slap in a transfer request. Quite the opposite; The former Lyon, AC Milan and Flamengo playmaker determined to repay the eternal faith shown in him by the claret and blue masses.
“He just looks like the weight has been lifted off his shoulders!,” Bowen explains. “I think for him to have a positive outcome [after that spot-fixing charge], we will see the Lucas we know [he can be].”
Paqueta looked, if not back to his best, then certainly a little lighter, freer, during the summer tour of the USA.
“The way he was in pre-season, the way he’s come back, and the physical condition he’s in…” Bowen adds. “The quality he’s got, we have seen that in the last couple of years.
“I think this season, for him, is a really big season. He’s ready for it. It’s almost, not like a new signing, but you know when someone has had that [stress] on top of them and it gets taken off, they feel so free. Back to playing football, back to doing what they love, playing with a smile on their face.
“I am really, really happy [for him].”
Manchester City interested and Newcastle United linked
Hammers News can confirm that Manchester City remain keen admirers of Lucas Paqueta.
Pep Guardiola’s side nearly signed the West Ham number ten for £80 million back in 2023, of course, only to see those negotiations come tumbling down once those charges were brought against the 27-year-old.
Newcastle have also been linked. Paqueta used to play alongside St James’ skipper Bruno Guimaraes across the Channel at Lyon.
In a timely Instagram post in the aftermath of that opening day Sunderland loss, however, Paqueta appeared to suggest that West Ham will have his full focus for the foreseeable future.
“Together as a team,” he wrote, accompanied by a photo of him and his teammates lining up at the Stadium of Light. “It’s just the beginning and I know we’re going to have a great season
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