‘West Ham fans join Newcastle in chants over Nick de Marco’
West Ham have endured a frustrating summer so far as they have struggled to add quality options to their squad.
Graham Potter made his desire for reinforcements clear at the end of the previous campaign, but business has been hard to come by in E20 over the last few months.
El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters currently stand as West Ham’s only new arrivals, while they have also missed out on several potential targets.
There is not a lot of optimism surrounding the East Londoners as we head into the new season, as it appears that Potter hasn’t been given the resources he needs to turn their fortunes around.
Kieran Maguire moots West Ham and Newcastle De Marco chants
One of the few positives of West Ham’s summer has come over the last few days, with the news that Lucas Paqueta’s charges have been dropped by the FA.
The Brazilian has been under investigation for several months now, but the FA’s inquest has finally reached a telling conclusion, and the midfielder has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Paqueta was represented in the case by leading sports lawyer Nick de Marco, who also worked with Newcastle United during the investigation into the legality behind their Saudi takeover, and with Leicester City over an alleged PSR breach.
De Marco has helped all three to secure a favourable outcome, and Kieran Maguire has now suggested that West Ham, Newcastle and Leicester fans will all be singing the lawyer’s praises this season.
The football finance expert took to X (31 July) to point out that three fanbases would be united in a round of “One Nick de Marco, there’s only one Nick de Marco.”
De Marco responded to Maguire’s post by heaping his own praise on his legal team and a “determined client.”
West Ham now have a decision to make on Paqueta
Paqueta’s verdict is undoubtedly good news for West Ham, but it now leaves them with a crucial decision to make on the 27-year-old.
The former Lyon man had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City before news of his spot-fixing allegations emerged, and the threat of a lifetime ban from football came into play.
He could still find himself on the chopping block at the London Stadium this summer, as Potter and Co. may be tempted to look to cash in on the star and reinvest the profit elsewhere in the squad.
It remains to be seen where Paqueta’s future will lie, but the Hammers are at least now safe in the knowledge that he is in the clear.
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