Nuno Espirito Santo to pull Lucas Paqueta for crunch talks after West Ham controversy
Nuno Espirito Santo is unlikely to be impressed with what he’s seen from Lucas Paqueta so far at West Ham.
Nuno took charge of West Ham on Saturday, taking over just hours after Graham Potter was let go after a terrible start to the season.
West Ham secured a 1-1 draw against Everton as the Portuguese head coach oversaw his first match in charge of the London Stadium club.
Jarrod Bowen smashed home an equaliser for West Ham, while Crysencio Summerville caught the eye in attacking areas.
Paqueta failed to totally make his presence felt against the Toffees, with Nuno set to hold talks over one controversial moment from the attacking midfielder.
Nuno Espirito Santo to stamp out Lucas Paqueta simulation
Paqueta seemingly turned down a move to Aston Villa in the summer, proving his loyalty to the East London outfit in the process.
That hasn’t stopped the Brazilian from coming under fire from the Hammers faithful after failing to showcase his best form this season.
It is his play-acting antics against Everton that have heightened this frustration after the 28-year-old went down holding his face after colliding with Vitalii Mykolenko.
The Ukrainian clearly made contact with Paqueta’s ribs, leading many away fans to be left embarrassed by his behaviour.
Former Brentford and Leicester City manager Martin Allen believes Nuno will now hold talks with the number 10 to put an end to these antics.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Allen said: “I didn’t like that, to be honest with you.
“It’s something that the manager will address with him to explain that West Ham don’t want to play like that to get somebody sent off.
“I thought he played well against Everton, but that is something that Nuno will be pulling him into his office for.
“He’ll shut the door, one-to-one, show him the clip, he went down holding his face, but was hit in the ribs, it’s something that is the way of playing in South America.
“It’s not something that referees want in the Premier League, and I don’t think the West Ham fans like it either.“
Paqueta must improve at West Ham
The Brazilian may have netted two goals this campaign, but his performance against the Toffees left a lot to be desired.
Where the likes of Malick Diouf and Summerville made their presence known with their performances, Paqueta did so with his moment of play-acting.
| Stat vs Everton | Lucas Paqueta |
| Shot | 1 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Defensive contributions | 13 |
| Ground duels won | 3 |
Resorting to this sort of action isn’t a good look and certainly doesn’t look good following a quiet performance for the Hammers.
Nuno could well get the best out of the ex-Lyon man moving forward, but he needs to stop him from embarrassing himself before anything else.
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