West Ham club source shares Lucas Paqueta update amid approach news
Lucas Paqueta has experienced a resurgence at West Ham as Graham Potter‘s reign gets underway.
The 27-year-old hit the ground running under new management, scoring in back-to-back games against Aston Villa and Fulham and has largely been playing out of position.
While Potter’s new tactics are taking longer than hope to set in, performances are certainly improving from what was seen under Julen Lopetegui and he can certainly thank Paqueta for that.
However, his better performances have not stopped the links with a move away for the former Lyon star, with rumours only getting louder at the London Stadium.
According to O Dia [9 February], the midfielder met up with Flamengo, a meeting which was not known to the Hammers, with officials seeing it as an “act of betrayal”.
Lucas Paqueta transfer rumours completely squashed at West Ham
Sources have disputed the transfer stories concerning him, with Sean Whetstone writing via X [10 February]: “Stories of Lucas Paqueta meeting with an official from the Brazilian Serie A club have been strongly denied.
“We have had confirmation from a top source within the club and a third party that Flamengo made an approach for Paquetá in the past, but there has been no recent contact.
When we spoke to a source close to the player within the past hour to ask if there was any truth to the rumours that the Hammers’ record signing had met with anyone representing Flamengo, we were told, “No.”
Graham Potter to welcome boost on star player
Despite an upturn in form, the Hammers are still 15th in the Premier League and just 10 points above the relegation zone.
David Sullivan clearly made the best decision to part ways with Lopetegui and hire the former Brighton and Chelsea figure, but it will take more than just a few weeks to turn things around.
Keeping Paqueta at the club is an absolute must, and making sure the player blocks out any outside noise will be essential to him carrying on his positive form in East London.
Once the stars around him return from injury, it will only be a matter of time before Potter’s reign gets off and running properly.
While Jarrod Bowen has returned, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio, Jean-Clair Todibo and Edson Alvarez all need to return to fully bolster the squad.
The attacking players, especially, will be a welcome sight for the Brazilian playmaker, with his assists seemingly dwindling this season, but all it takes is a boost of confidence to get him firing again.