David Ornstein shares likely West Ham plan after what’s happened with Lucas Paqueta
Lucas Paqueta has been linked with an exit from West Ham for a while now.
It was suggested that Paqueta would leave West Ham over the summer, with clubs like Tottenham and Aston Villa linked.
However, the Brazilian stayed put and endured a turbulent couple of months at the London Stadium.
Indeed, Graham Potter was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo late last month and, while he was appointed to turn things around, he has yet to win a game with the Hammers.
As a result, the January transfer window is becoming an increasingly attractive option for West Ham.
West Ham will enter the market this January
West Ham will look to strengthen Nuno’s squad in the January transfer window, according to David Ornstein via The Back Pages podcast on 20 October.
He said: “[Crysencio] Summerville is now back from injury, but struggling to find much of an impact, and no recognised striker in the absence of [Niclas] Fullkrug.
“And we know the quality that Jarrod Bowen possesses, but it’s not easy on his own, pretty much.
“Paqueta is not making the sort of contribution that we’ve come to know him for. So maybe they’ll be trying to get through to January and give Nuno some recruitment to try and boost this season.”
Indeed, the Brazilian midfielder has not been at his best these past couple of months, having netted just two goals in the Premier League thus far.
Joshua Zirkzee and Ivan Toney are among the names linked to West Ham this winter, and given their 19th spot in the league, reinforcement may be the Hammers’ only shot at avoiding relegation this season.
How has Lucas Paqueta performed this season?
On the eye test alone, Paqueta has been unsatisfactory, but do the stats corroborate this?
As mentioned, he has netted two goals from 1.57 expected goals per game in the league according to Sofascore. This is an overperformance which demonstrates he’s been clinical when it matters.
- He has missed one big chance and has a 20 per cent goal conversion rate
- Paqueta has registered zero assists from 1.03 expected assists
- He has created two big chances
The midfielder has also made 1.4 key passes, while 78 per cent of his passes have been accurate.
Meanwhile, the stats show he has been pretty solid defensively. Indeed, he has recovered 4.8 balls per game and has only made one error leading to a shot.
From this, it can be concluded that Paqueta has been as good as the team’s allowed him to be. In a struggling side and a new manager, it’s a huge ask for any player to be at their best.
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