New Lucas Paqueta interest from Manchester City seems wide of the mark despite reports coming out of Brazil. West Ham and the Brazilian Hammer are playing a waiting game and while there has been no updates recently, the FA investigation is expected to run beyond the January transfer window.
New Lucas Paqueta interest
There is even a chance it could run into and beyond next summer into next season if previous investigations are a benchmark. In the most recent case of an Arsenal player involving suspicious betting patterns, regarding yellow cards this took 18 months before the he was eventually cleared and despite pleading guilty Brentford’s Ivan Toney took months to reach a result.
The story broke in August after betting around West Ham’s game against Bournemouth raised the alarm. If taken literally, 18 months would put the end of investigation in February 2025 beyond even the January 2025 transfer window so any interest from City is way premature.
Paqueta strenuously denies any involvement, doesn’t gamble himself and insists he will be found innocent. The only concern from the Hammers and the Brazilian representatives of the player – plus of course the midfielder himself is that the burden of proof is far less than in a criminal court and circumstantial evidence could be used against the player unfairly.