When Lucas Paquetá retires, quite probably he will look back on his career and regret ever coming to West Ham United.
What seemed such a promising start under David Moyes and led to a trophy -and the step from mid table to champions as Manchester City beckoned – crashed down around his ears amidst the FA charges.
Probably, Paquetá deserved to be treated better. Certainly, West Ham United did. The club that supported him and paid him handsomely for two years of sub-standard performances, drossy play and poor discipline received only a modest fee for selling him after making him a millionaire several times over.
West Ham fans had their patience tested endlessly as the brilliance became tarnished, the diving and simulation increased and the ‘assists’ dried up to the point that Paqueta had created more goals for opponents by being caught in possession than he’d created for his own side .
The ‘Aston Villa’ episode saw many fans run out of patience with him: This season many more have become apathetic to the club, with their attitude to the playmaker’s antics symbolic of their approach to life as a Hammers fan.
It has all become too painfully uncomfortable to care in the same way any more.
So when Paqueta posts his ‘farewell message’ on social media, most West Ham fans will, I suspect, like me, not even bother to read it. Bye Lucas, thanks for Prague. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
I liked him as a player, we don’t know what’s gone on personally for him (inside his head) the reality is for a season and a half other than odd glimpses he has been poor.
I wish him well for the good times, he produced moments we won’t forget and understand why he might want a fresh start though won’t forget he promised not to leave and then left.
This whole ‘The club stood by him’ rhetoric is complete nonsense. If the club cut ties with him during the F.A’s debacle, without the knowledge of him being innocent or guilty, he would have taken US to the cleaners, and rightly so. It’s such an easy stick to beat him with. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that we did what we had to do BY LAW. Sometimes reading these comments is like reading from a bunch of kids who didn’t get their own way.
Paqueta is a human being first and foremost. The immature bitterness shown because he wants to go back home and be with his ‘people’ after being treated like dirt by the F.A is ugly. Whether he did enough on the pitch or not, he was a West Ham player and should be supported. He’s no petulant Payet and he contributed to our first trophy for over 40 years. Remember that.
Nobody knows what he went through mentally, but as humans we all go through unpleasant things and we don’t have the luxury of being able to massively underperform and receive millions in pay. Would people be so sympathetic of a Doctor or Nurse, if they were substandard because they were going through a messy divorce or lost a loved one. People with real character put their issues to one side, take responsibility for themselves and get on with it. He only needed to put some effort in for 90 mins once a week, which isn’t much to ask for considering he was getting £125k for it! Stepping on to the pitch should’ve been a good way to forget about the problems, do something positive. If he’d have done more to help his team, the fans would’ve given him the mental boost he needed. It’s a shame how things have turned out and it’s best he’s gone. Hopefully he’ll be happy back in Brazil and West Ham will keep winning matches without him! Time we all moved on and looked forward!
To the supporters having a pop at Martin’s post remember he was keen on joining the Villa project last August……not exactly in Brazil is it???
100% correct
Petulant and unprofessional. Don’t forget he asked to be left out of the team (when Moyes was manager) because City were sniffing around. Stood by him through his troubles. Now we are in the “do” he wants out. Not the battler we need. F him.
True story, but thanks for Prague and a handful of great games. Other than that an absolute liability.
I was more upset when Payet left. We need more players like Dawson who gave his all for the club. Or does loyalty mean nothing anymore?
Always be a hero to me , I don’t think we should turn on him he no payet
Perhaps he would have performed better if the side had had a couple of charging rhinos up front causing a bucketful of chaos leaving him without it all to do on his own.
Hopefully the team will benefit from our three rhinos currently at Nuno’s disposal and we won’t miss our talented solo star. Looks like Jarrod can take a mean penalty and Mateus has found an appetite for the longer range efforts on goal.
Onwards and upwards.
Speak for yourself. It’s another one of your annoying comments.
Paqueta can stick his “emotional farewell”. Glad to see the back of him. West ham stuck by him all through the shameful FA accusation and never repaid that loyalty, all we got was his desire to leave and poor performances. Cash in and move on. A pity he didn’t have the stomach or the class to give his best for his club,fans and teammates.
No guys, Martin is right. He never lived up to the hype. I remember when we purchased him, the guy on Sky who is their South American expert, Tim Vickery, stating he will drop deep and give the ball away and may not be so suited to the rough and tumble of the PL. I should have put a bet on that prediction!
I read it.
The guy created the greatest moment in our recent history with a moment of absolute brilliance.
I think it’s totally understandable that his performances dropped given what he went through. History is littered with players whose performances dropped far further over far less.
I don’t blame him for that and I don’t blame him for wanting to go home. Some things are more important than our relegation battle and to be honest he couldn’t produce the performances we need anymore anyway.
Hope he finds his love for the game again and finds peace from torturing himself over what his career could have been.
F**k the FA. Hope he takes them the cleaners.
As much as I cannot stand Sully, this has NOTHING to do with him, as it is just down to the integrity of Paqueta the player and the man.
Good riddance to him, and I hope that the fee is reinvested in player/s who have as much heart and fight as Taty and Pablo!
I don’t share the sentiment of this post at all
I for one will read it and remember what the state of Lucas’s mental health probably is – due to the FA. The whole situation is down to them.
Don’t be bitter Martin, be better. Your worst article ever. No need.
Well said Martin, we don’t need or want him. Stood by him for 2 years and this is the payback/reward? Feels more like a divorce and hopefully we’ll come out better off without him. Just hope he doesn’t get injured, banned or done for more betting offences (ha ha), since he’s value has dropped so much before FA inquiry you think we should be entitled to some compensation?
“since he’s value” (should be) ‘since his value’
Amazing player. What could’ve been if the board had got a proper attacking coach. SHAME ON YOU SULLY. Sully out!!!!!
No he isnt, not enough goals not consistent enough and totally not bothered about him going
And a defensive one before now!
The whole saga is the fault of the fa , the fella has been through he’ll.
What hell, he wasnt suspended, he still earned mega bucks and supported completely by the club.
Agreed. I feel this article and some comments are a bit harsh. To have your career you have worked so hard for since a child to potentially be swept under the rug just like that must he horrible. I think people forget footballers are human too and go through the same emotions as every other human. Not only does it take its toll on his mental health but his whole family too. The FA are the ones to blame for letting the whole thing drag on for two years. Two damn years! It’s is a very very long time to have that hanging over your head so makes it that much worse. If it was resolved in a better manner and time frame maybe we would have still seen the Paquetá we knew and loved(except the antics obviously). I have just been promoted at work after years of hard work, training and patience, and if something like this happened to me I’d be the same as id potentially have to change career, probably have to take a massive pay cut and me and my family would suffer. I know the club stood by him but I don’t hold it against him for wanting to go home for a fresh start for himself and his family. I wish him the best.
he’ll what?
Yep. Just another example of incompetent and unaccountable bureaucrats that plagues wider society. If they had had sufficient proof, the affair should have been done and dusted in weeks. Instead they dragged it out for two years destroying his career and contributing to our possible descent to the Championship in the process (although most of the blame for that still lies with the unprofessional way the club is run imho).