Whether Julen Lopetegui is sacked by West Ham United or not, one of the Hammers star players, Lucas Paqueta, still wants to leave the club regardless.
The Brazilian has been playing under a cloud for the past year after being accused of various betting issues, and it would appear that he’s made a definitive decision about his future.
According to Goal, Lucas Paqueta wants to turn his back on the Premier League and West Ham, and return to Brazilian football.
It won’t matter to him if Julen Lopetegui stays or goes, because he’s clearly homesick.
Jamie Carragher has named his choice for the West Ham job, and David Moyes has an opinion on West Ham’s current incumbent too, but for now, the Spaniard remains in position and looking to get the results which will keep him there.
Although its understood that Paqueta wanting to go back to Brazilian football is nothing to do with the betting scandal, it’s not unfair to assume that it has played some part in his thinking.
The high-profile nature of the case means that he’s appeared to have rarely been out of the papers, and that kind of pressure is bound to take its toll.
Should he leave the club, the issue for Lopetegui or any replacement is that the Hammers will have then lost their creative hub.
Most of West Ham’s good work goes through Paqueta at some stage, and the East London outfit are almost certain to find it difficult to replace him.
For now everything remains quiet, however, with his trial due to start in March 2025 say Goal, everything could come to a head towards the business end of the current campaign.
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