Nuno Espirito Santo already has West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta replacement despite scepticism
Losing Lucas Paqueta is going to be a blow for West Ham.
Paqueta is finalising his move to Flamengo, after making it clear to West Ham that he wanted to return back to his homeland of Brazil this winter.
Neymar was among many who reacted to Paqueta’s farewell post this week, confirming beyond any doubt that he was indeed leaving the London Stadium.
Indeed, Paqueta isn’t the only midfielder to leave West Ham in the last few hours, with James Ward-Prowse compelting a loan move to Burnley on Thursday.
Nuno Espirito Santo doubts West Ham’s chances of replacing Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta has been a superb player for West Ham, that nobody can deny.
Ever since arriving at the London Stadium from Lyon in the summer of 2022, it became immediately obvious to Hammers fans that they’d signed a special player.
The creative node that made West Ham tick over the last few years, the versatile attacker routinely dazzled with his fantastic technical ability, and was so often at the heart of everything the Irons did well.
However, West Ham’s current Premier League predicament as well his personal desire to return home has created a perfect storm for him to call time on his stay in E20, and he is going to be missed.
Speaking on Paqueta’s exit via BBC Match of the Day on X, Nuno has confessed that he doesn’t believe he nor West Ham can replace the Brazilian.
“You cannot replace Lucas because he is unique”, and has also stated that he and West Ham will have to “move forward with what they have”.
Mateus Fernandes is already picking up Paqueta slack
Nuno’s words not only suggest that West Ham won’t be signing another attacking midfielder before the 2 February deadline, they’re also a tad bit fatalistic.
Especially when he’s got a player in Mateus Fernandes who is already showing him, and the entire Hammers faithful that whilst he may not be Paqueta, he can bring his same qualities to the team.
As per Sofascore, Fernandes is recording a 67.9 per cent long ball accuracy compared to Paqueta’s 51 per cent in the Premier League this season, and is also 8.6 per cent more accurate with his crosses.
Fernandes’ dribble success is 59.3 per cent compared to Paqueta’s 38.1 per cent, and is also considerably more accurate when it comes to his passes, with an 89 per cent success rate compared to Paqueta’s 77 per cent.
The 21-year-old has also bagged three goals and two assists for West Ham this season, showing that he’s got the tools to be a superb creative playmaker.
In short, Fernandes is proving that he’s got all the traits to be a top attacking midfielder for many years to come, and Nuno shouldn’t doubt the Portugal youth international’s potential to not only replace Paqueta but maybe even surpass him.
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.