West Ham United: Alan Pardew gushes over ‘special’ Lucas Paqueta v Freiburg live on talkSPORT
Alan Pardew gushed over the “special” Lucas Paqueta live on air as West Ham advanced in the Europa League after a 5-0 win over Freiburg on Thursday (14 March).
The Brazilian star has been an incredible performer for the Hammers since arriving at the club in August 2022 and was unstoppable as they overturned a one-goal deficit against the Bundesliga side to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
With James Ward-Prowse dropped to the bench by David Moyes, Paqueta started in a far more central role than usual, scoring the opener on the night.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Thursday (14 March, 6:06pm), Pardew said: “In any team, you need the brains, especially at the top of the pitch, to pick and choose the right moments to pass, like James Maddison at Tottenham.
“Paqueta does the same job at West Ham and he’s brilliant at it. Pundits talk about him in a special way, and you can tell that he is a special talent. They will do very well to hang onto him in the summer.”
Will Lucas Paqueta stay at West Ham United during the summer transfer window?
Considering his overall impact on the West Ham squad, and his incredible individual performances, it is expected that other clubs are keeping tabs on the midfielder.
Manchester City are reported to still be interested in the Brazilian ahead of the transfer window, having made an attempt to sign him before the current campaign started.
If the Hammers were to lose their talisman, it would truly rip the heart of Moyes’ team away, leaving them with a huge hole to fill.
Although James Ward-Prowse is a brilliant talent, as are Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, Paqueta’s teammates are likely to be stranded at the London Stadium, which was proven while he was sidelined earlier this season.
With Paqueta injured at the end of 2023, the Hammers went eight successive matches without a victory, being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship outfit Bristol City, and shipping six goals to Arsenal.
Upon his return to the starting XI, West Ham completed a 4-2 victory over Brentford on Monday 26 February, claiming their first victory of 2024 before beating Everton 3-1 in the next game.
Coincidence? Maybe. Important to Moyes’ West Ham? Certainly.
In other West Ham news, Gareth Southgate has made his call on Kalvin Phillips.
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