Lucas Paqueta sack verdict emerges at West Ham United after FA developments
West Ham United could only sack Lucas Paqueta if his alleged breaches of the FA’s gambling rules were a gross breach of contract, according to The Athletic.
The outlet reported on its website on Tuesday (28 May) that should a player plead guilty or be convicted of a crime, any club including the Irons would then be able to label that decision as gross breach of contract.
But should Paqueta then be found not guilty of his four alleged charges, the Brazilian could effectively take action against the club if he was sacked or try and claim unpaid wages if he were suspended without pay.
More often than not, Premier League clubs decide to not to sack players because of these complicated factors which cause so much uncertainty.
Will West Ham United sack Lucas Paqueta after FA betting charges?
West Ham will be incredibly frustrated by this situation as the Hammers viewed Paqueta as a key part of their plans under the management of Julen Lopetegui next season, in more ways than one.
There was an expectation that the Brazilian international would be sold amid growing transfer interest from Manchester City in the build-up to the summer window and that money would be used to fund a rebuild under the former Real Madrid boss.
All those plans have now had to be put on hold as it seems unlikely anyone will be willing to pay the fee required to secure the midfielder’s signature when he could potentially be facing a long-term ban sooner rather than later.
Those in charge at the London Stadium may like to suspend or sack Paqueta out of pure frustration, but it seems incredibly unlikely that will happen because of the potential repercussions at the London Stadium.
This situation is one to watch over the next few weeks as there is so much that still hangs in the balance around Paqueta’s future.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers stance on a summer move for Jarrod Bowen has emerged amid interest from Newcastle
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