Lopetegui to regret Paqueta moment after what he did in West Ham v Bournemouth
Julen Lopetegui will be unsure about what to think after Lucas Paqueta scored for West Ham in their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Monday.
The Brazil international converted a penalty to put the Irons in front at the Vitality Stadium on 16 December, thus ending his eight-game goal drought.
He celebrated the goal by running towards Lopetegui and hugging him in the dugout, although an Enes Unal free-kick spoilt their moods three minutes later.
Nevertheless, the moment between Paqueta and Lopetegui was interesting for more than one reason.
Lopetegui to regret Paqueta after what he did for West Ham
Paqueta became a major talking point even before a ball was kicked at the Vitality Stadium as he posted a seemingly cryptic post on X less than two hours before kick-off, writing “I will return home” among other things.
Mind you, this came on the back of the news that Brazilian Serie A champions Botafogo are interested in acquiring his services [The Sun].
The 27-year-old’s largely unbothered performance against the Cherries did not ease concerns about a potential transfer. It only sparked talk of an exit further.
However, in an interesting turn of events, Paqueta ended up scoring for West Ham and even kissed the badge on his shirt as he celebrated his goal.
He doubled down on the celebration by expressing his “love” for the East London outfit after the game [The Evening Standard].
Paqueta’s antics before, during and after the game are bizarre in a way and Lopetegui will be hopeful he does not regret sharing that hug with him.
Lucas Paqueta v Bournemouth in numbers
Paqueta was invisible for West Ham for most of the game, but his stats turned green in the blink of an eye as he netted the penalty.
In his defence, he attempted three shots, created as many chances and completed 27 of his 37 passes, including four into the final third (73 per cent, according to Sofascore.
However, the Brazilian was wasteful in possession, losing the ball 14 times. Only Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek fared worse among teammates.
Furthermore, the former Lyon star won only two of his nine duels, of which one was on the ground and the other in the air (22 per cent).
Paqueta’s contributions in defence were minimal, registering only two clearances and one interception.
Hopefully, the goal can spring him into life ahead of a busy Christmas period in the Premier League.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are plotting a January transfer swoop for this player from a Premier League top-six side.
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