West Ham’s board have moved to send a clear message to wantaway record signing Lucas Paqueta amid reports he is not training and could go on strike to force a move.
- Hammers News exclusive
With tensions simmering and uncertainty surrounding the Brazilian’s future, the stance taken by West Ham adds another layer of intrigue to a situation that is rapidly becoming one of the most delicate and consequential of this pivotal season.
There is never a dull moment in the weird and wonderful world of West Ham United.
Proof of that has arrived in abundance this week thanks to the situation unfolding around Lucas Paqueta.
Just when this most dismal of seasons looked like it could not get any worse, Paqueta has rolled a hand grenade into the Hammers fire.
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As Nuno Espirito Santo’s side fight to stay in the Premier League, Paqueta has dropped a bombshell by refusing to play as he tries to force a move back to Brazil.
After trying and failing to leave in the summer, Paqueta said this would be his final season at West Ham.
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But he may not even last that long with the midfielder said to be ‘desperate’ to complete a return to Flamengo, his first and boyhood club.
Paqueta dropped a huge hint he wanted to return to Flamengo in the summer.
That’s despite having another two years on his contract after this season when including West Ham’s extension option.
Tottenham and Aston Villa were among the Premier League clubs interested in the summer.
Chelsea have made a shock offer to West Ham for Paqueta.
Meanwhile Paqueta himself responded to a bid from Spurs after they made it clear to the Hammers they were prepared to better Flamengo’s offer.
So far West Ham have rejected the Brazilian club’s bids for the 28-year-old playmaker.
And that, it is being claimed, both here and in Brazil, may force drastic action from the player.
Now the West Ham board have sent a message to Paqueta over a no-show strike threat.
West Ham board send message to Paqueta over strike threat
Various reports have claimed that Paqueta, who withdrew his availability for selection against QPR in the FA Cup at the weekend, is yet to train this week ahead of the crucial game against bitter rivals Tottenham.
Now, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook claims West Ham bosses fear Paqueta could effectively go on strike to force his way out of the club.
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Sources have told talkSPORT it is far from certain Paqueta will play against Spurs and that he has informed Hammers chief David Sullivan he has no intention of staying.
Speculation is rife that Paqueta has not trained with the team this week.
Nuno has made it clear he thinks Paqueta is West Ham’s best player.
The Hammers boss even went as far as to call him ‘irreplaceable’ when he was suspended recently.
So not only does it put Nuno in an extremely difficult position, it leaves West Ham short when they need their key players most – perhaps more than at any time in the last 15 years.
When the Paqueta strike and training no-show claims were put to West Ham’s owners, the response was perfectly clear.
The top spokesman for the board told Hammers News there will be consequences for Paqueta if he takes such action.
Hammers board tell Paqueta he will be punished
“We don’t know whether he has refused to play yet,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“But he will be fined if he refuses to train and play.”
Paqueta earns £150k per week at West Ham, the club’s joint highest earner alongside captain Jarrod Bowen.
A standard fine in similar circumstances has traditionally been the maximum allowable two weeks’ wages.
So Paqueta could be hit to the tune of £300k by West Ham’s owners if he refuses to play against Spurs or has been skipping training without illness or injury.
It is an unsavoury situation which West Ham must resolve one way or another as quickly as possible or risk undermining their already uphill battle to stay in the Premier League.
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