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Lucas Paqueta to make West Ham debut sooner than expected
Newly-signed midfielder Lucas Paqueta is expected to be involved in at least one of West Ham United fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea.
The Brazil international recently completed his move to the London Stadium in a club-record deal worth up to £51.3 million from Lyon [Guardian].
As per Claret & Hugh, Paqueta is set to complete the procedure to get the UK work permit and for that, a slot has been fixed for Tuesday (30 August).
It was earlier anticipated that the player might not be available for selection for any of the next two matches with the club booking a slot for his clearance over the next few days.
However, the report confirmed citing sources at the London Stadium that the issue has been resolved and the player is in line to make a debut for the club sooner than expected.
“We found a last-minute slot in London today [Tuesday],” the source said. “So the race is on. You also never know how long international clearance takes.”
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West Ham entered the transfer window hoping to sign a number of players to strengthen different areas on the pitch and with less than three to go, it seems that the majority of their business has been complete.
The most notable of those signings must be Paqueta because the Hammers have clearly struggled in transitioning from defence to attack in the earlier part of the season where they suffered three back-to-back defeats before finally registering a win against Aston Villa.
Therefore, the Brazil international might well be the link that was missing in the Irons’ playing XI. What makes the 25-year-old even more special is his ability to play in different positions in the final third which will make him an essential part of the playing XI.
Paqueta joined the club after spending two successful seasons in France with Lyon where he was simply sensational in the attacking department, scoring 24 times and providing 14 assists in just 80 matches across all competitions [Transfermarkt].