Without being guilty of stating the obvious, it’s not a great time to be a West Ham United fan at the moment.
The team looked terrible under Graham Potter at the start of the season, and apart from a brief moment against Everton, they’ve not looked much better under Nuno Espírito Santo.
The Portuguese coach has a tough job on his hands to get the Hammers out of the relegation zone, and things have only just got more complicated.
It now seems that Lucas Paqueta wants to leave the club, although his departure wouldn’t be ideal, West Ham appear to have a player who could step into his shoes.
Latest on Lucas Paqueta's West Ham future
As if Nuno’s task to keep West Ham in the Premier League wasn’t already challenging enough, it now seems that the incredibly talented Paqueta wants to jump ship in the winter window.
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At least, that is according to a recent report from the Times, which claims that, despite a move to Aston Villa not materialising in the summer, the Brazilian ace is still keen to leave the East Londoners as soon as possible.
It is unclear just how much money it would take for the Irons to sell, but given his desire to leave, underwhelming performances and the fact that there are less than two years left on his £150k-per-week contract, it seems unlikely they’ll make a profit on the £51m they paid Lyon for him in 2022.
However, while losing the Paquetá-born midfielder would be far from ideal, it might not be the nail in the club’s Premier League coffin that many might spin it as.
After all, even though his talent is undeniable, has the 28-year-old star actually been as effective for the club as fans hoped he would be when he first joined?
25/26
10
3
24/25
36
5
23/24
43
15
22/23
41
12
Well, across his 130 appearances for the Irons, the former Lyon ace has scored 21 goals and provided 14 assists, which works out to a decent but unspectacular average of a goal involvement every 3.71 games.
Moreover, last season saw him score just five goals in 35 games, of which two were penalties, meaning he averaged a non-penalty goal every 11.66 games, which isn’t good enough for someone meant to be a team’s talismanic number ten.
In short, while the best situation would be one in which Nuno could get the best back out of Paqueta, losing him in the winter might not be as bad as some would have you believe, as he’s barely contributed to the team for over a year now.
Moreover, West Ham already have a creative gem who could potentially prove to be a brilliant replacement in the long run.
West Ham's Paqueta replacement
While there are undoubtedly other ways in which Nuno and West Ham could approach a Paqueta-less side, perhaps the best would be to use Mateus Fernandes.
The former Southampton star joined the club for around £40m in the summer, and while he’s spent more time in central midfield since then, he’s no stranger to playing further up the pitch.
For example, during his time with the Saints, the “exceptional” Portuguese ace, as dubbed by analyst Mattinson, made 21 appearances in attacking midfield.
Moreover, despite playing for a team that were relegated and, for some time, looked in danger of breaking Derby County’s most unwanted record, the 21-year-old still produced six goal involvements in 36 league games.
For comparison’s sake, Paqueta scored just four goals in 34 league games.
Finally, on top of possessing the ability to play “those KDB-type passes,” as Mattinson puts it, the former Southampton ace is also happy to help out all over the pitch, as his underlying numbers show.
According to FBref, he ranked in the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League last season for percentage of aerial duels won, the top 5% for tackles and ball recoveries, the top 11% for long passes attempted and completed and the top 14% for passes into the final third, all per 90.
% of Aerials Won
62.5%
Top 2%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
1.39
Top 3%
Tackles
2.75
Top 5%
Ball Recoveries
5.54
Top 5%
Interceptions
0.87
Top 7%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
26.82
Top 9%
GCA (Defensive Action)
0.03
Top 10%
Passes Completed (Long)
3.40
Top 11%
Passes Attempted (Long)
6.06
Top 11%
Dribblers Tackled
1.02
Top 11%
Pass Completion % (Medium)
85.9%
Top 14%
Passes into Final Third
3.03
Top 14%
Shots Blocked
0.25
Top 14%
Total Passing Distance
569.45
Top 15%
Blocks
1.33
Top 15%
Ultimately, in an ideal world, West Ham would keep hold of Paqueta and help him get back to his best this season.
However, if he really is to leave in the winter, then fans should not worry too much, as Fernandes could step in and step up.