HUGE mistake yet again by the HAMMERS after letting go of Player devoted to succeed at London Stadium now making Lopetegui regret decision by Outdoing Lucas Paqueta game contribution with 27 games less played.
West Ham splashed out £50 million to sign Lucas Paqueta from Lyon in the summer of 2022 (BBC). While Paqueta has shown flashes of brilliance, he’s also delivered some frustratingly poor performances, particularly in the past two months.
To be fair, Paqueta has been dealing with significant off-field issues, having been charged with four potential betting breaches. He recently addressed these allegations publicly, but it seems clear that his focus isn’t fully on football at the moment.
There’s no denying Paqueta’s immense talent, but his form this season has been disappointing. Given his position, his output since joining West Ham has been underwhelming. In fact, his numbers pale in comparison to a former West Ham player who left the club two years ago.
Paqueta has managed just 15 goals and 14 assists in 94 games for the Hammers since his arrival in 2022 (Transfermarkt). Meanwhile, Andriy Yarmolenko, who left the club that same summer, has gone on to score 24 goals and provide 11 assists in 67 games for Al-Ain and Dynamo Kyiv (Transfermarkt). That’s six more goal contributions than Paqueta in 27 fewer matches.
Although it’s not suggested that West Ham should have kept Yarmolenko, one could argue that the £50 million spent on Paqueta might have been better invested in a player with greater final-third output.
Paqueta’s assist to Jarrod Bowen in the Europa Conference League final in 2023 will always be a memorable moment, but over the past 14 months, his performances have not lived up to expectations, despite his off-field struggles.