West Ham attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta is currently struggling for form, leaving supporters to question whether he should be benched.
The Brazilian international was substituted just after the hour mark against Tottenham at the weekend after another below-par performance.
Asked whether Paqueta should be dropped for the Hammers’ upcoming fixture versus Manchester United, the majority of fans on X agreed:
Yes, he is not on his game.
— ⚒Rod⚒ (@bubblemaster3) October 20, 2024
Tbh, I would’ve dropped him a few weeks ago. I haven’t personally seen enough of him this season to even suggest that he enjoys playing. Mentally he’s not focused with the betting case whirling around his head and that’s not good for his career let alone the current team. ⚒️🫧
— JayWHU1998 ⚒🫧🏴🇺🇦 (@jaymeeteewhu98) October 21, 2024
Yes …head is elsewhere……
— Steve Davis (@RUsureIsaidthat) October 20, 2024
Definitely yes.
He's absolutely no addition to us with this betting case weighing him down. We know how great he can be but he's just not delivering at the moment.— Michael Melly (@MichaelMel48561) October 20, 2024
I would have dropped him 3 weeks ago.
His stats must be awful :-Pass Completion 🤷♂️
Caught in possession 🤷♂️
Assists 🤷♂️
Goals 🤷♂️😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫⚒️⚒️⚒️
— @Watts_official ⚒ (@RichardWatts1) October 20, 2024
I’d say bring soler for Paqueta and with kudus gone. We use Summerville
— LeoJ (@LeoJack04998529) October 21, 2024
Paqueta has off-field distractions
There is no doubt that the spot-fixing charges are weighing heavily on the 27-year-old’s shoulders. Just last week, he had to post on social media to deny leaked information about his case.
With the FA hearing set to take place in March next year, it has left Paqueta in a difficult situation, and many feel that his focus isn’t completely on his football.
West Ham have a perfect player to replace him
Carlos Soler has yet to start a league game since he joined the Irons on loan from Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window.
The Spaniard did replace Paqueta for the final half-hour against Spurs on Sunday but, with his side already losing 4-1, there wasn’t much for him to do.
Based on what Paqueta has been producing in recent weeks, it may be the right time to bench him so that Soler can get a decent run in the team.
Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
