Lucas Paqueta was not at the London Stadium on Saturday to witness West Ham United’s continued resurgence, and it appears his prolonged absence from the team is about to conclude with a permanent exit from west London.
The 3-1 home victory over Sunderland boosted West Ham’s Premier League survival chances, made it three consecutive wins in all competitions and offered hope that life without Paqueta may not be so bleak after all, though West Ham remain in the relegation zone with Chelsea next at Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old, the club-record €60million (£52m; $69m) signing from Lyon in August 2022, has not featured for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side since the 2-1 loss against fellow relegation contenders Nottingham Forest on January 6 — their last defeat. He asked not to play in West Ham’s FA Cup third-round victory over Queens Park Rangers and missed the 2-1 victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur on January 17 with a back injury.
Flamengo are now in advanced talks to bring Paqueta, who began his career at the Brazilian side, back to the club. The Athletic reported on Sunday that Flamengo had made a new bid of €41.25million (£35.8m; $48.9m) for the attacking midfielder.
Sources briefed on proceedings, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, are optimistic that the move will happen. However, the payment structure is yet to be finalised.
“I don’t have any information about that,” said Nuno in his post-match press conference when asked about Paqueta’s future. “What I hope is the situation to be solved as soon as possible.”
If he were to move, it would represent a tough end to Paqueta’s time at West Ham. While negotiations have been ongoing — West Ham rejected Flamengo’s second offer of €38million (£32.9m), plus €4m (£3m) in add-ons, for the playmaker last week — West Ham’s form has picked up.
A run of two straight Premier League wins has left West Ham looking up the table and eyeing a route out of relegation danger. They are now just five points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th, even with Sean Dyche’s side picking up a victory on Sunday.
Paqueta is closing in on a move to Flamengo (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
It is no surprise that form has picked up. In the last three matches, there has been fighting spirit and the team have been playing as a collective. The formation has alternated between a 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1, as opposed to 4-2-3-1 to cater to Paqueta as a No 10. While Paqueta has contributed five goals in 19 appearances in all competitions this season, West Ham have been mired in a relegation battle when he has been involved.
In the absence of Paqueta and in the new system, Saturday’s goalscorers Crysencio Summerville, club captain Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes have shone.
Significantly, Fernandes stole the show against Sunderland with a man-of-the-match performance. As Paqueta hopes to return to familiar surroundings in Brazil, the London Stadium is starting to feel like home for Fernandes, who joined last summer from Southampton in a deal worth £38m.
The duo are similar in their offensive artistry, but it is Fernandes who has been one of the shining lights of a gloomy season and has shown why ex-manager Graham Potter fought so hard to sign him. The 21-year-old midfielder gave West Ham a three-goal lead with a superb long-range strike in the 43rd minute, and the Portugal Under-21 international could have scored a goal of the season contender had it not thudded off the underside of the crossbar in added time.
After fulfilling post-match media duties, Fernandes and Summerville were applauded off the pitch as they headed towards the tunnel.
“It was a good day for everyone and I think we deserved it,” Fernandes told The Athletic. “We fought for the win and that was a key factor. We are in a good moment and we need to continue like this. We showed a lot of fight and quality in all games. We are proud of the team, of the fans and we are ready for the next games.
“I tried many times in training sessions to shoot. Even Lucas (Paqueta) has told me to shoot more. I tried and I scored so it’s good for me.”
When asked if supporters can expect a lot of those special moments, Fernandes added: “Yes, I think so.”