West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta was taken off with 15 minutes left on the clock against Wolves at the weekend.
In six appearances for the Hammers, the club’s record signing has failed to score or provide an assist, and it led to The Athletic‘s West Ham correspondent Roshane Thomas to ask fans on Twitter what they have made of the Brazilian. There was a mixed response, with some not particularly impressed, while others have seen glimpses of his true potential:
Certainly not looking like a £50M player I’ve got to say
— Matt Davey⚒ (@Daveyboymarra) October 1, 2022
Promising. Clearly still settling into the Premier League, but showed glimpses of his quality.
— Dan Woffenden (@danwoff98) October 1, 2022
He’s not suitable for Prem
— TERRY GILL (@GILLER07) October 1, 2022
Showing some glimpses but still needs to get up to speed with the league.
— M_Breezy (@M_BreezyFM) October 1, 2022
We dont play to his strengths, Soucek for example needs to get the ball into Paq alot quicker. Quicker tempo needed to bring his qualities out
— JM. (@JamieMehmet5) October 1, 2022
Average
— Will Harris (@WillHarris231) October 1, 2022
the quality is there its obvious. some lovely passing. just needs more games
— Adam Murphy ⚒🇮🇪 (@adzer32) October 1, 2022
Lack of any pace is a concern for me, but played some nice forward passes
— Matt Edge-Wilkins (@mattedgewilkins) October 1, 2022
As always, adaptation is key for a player moving to a new country, but it’s fair to say that supporters were expecting a little more than what they have seen from Paqueta so far, who had also been linked with Arsenal and Manchester City.
The 25-year-old cost an initial £36.5m, with another £14.4m due in the form of bonuses, and for that money you would expect to have a player who could light up a game when given the chance. It will be hoped that this is simply a slow start from the midfielder.
