‘I can see him doing well at Aston Villa’ – Insider responds to Lucas Paqueta development
Lucas Paqueta is being heavily linked with a move away from West Ham in January as a consequence of their dismal start to the season so far.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side beat Newcastle 3-1 last time out, bringing back some positivity, but the Hammers remain stranded in the relegation zone as things stand.
The Hammers have won just two of their 10 league games and have picked up just seven points, as they remain three points behind Burnley in 17th.
As a result, Paqueta could look to quit West Ham in January as he is keen to play at a higher level given the interest in him from a number of top sides.
The Brazil international missed out on a move to Man City in 2023, and while he has been content to stick with the Hammers, his patience is now being tested.
Aston Villa plan to reignite move to sign Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta turned down a move to Aston Villa during the summer, despite West Ham planning to accept offers for him, as he opted to remain in East London.
However, Unai Emery‘s side are now considering reigniting their interest to finally lure the Brazilian away from the London Stadium if he is keen to make a move.
That is according to former West Ham and Aston Villa senior scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Paqueta is still very highly thought of behind the scenes at Villa Park.
“Lucas Paqueta is a very talented footballer,” he told Football Insider.
“I think he lost he way a bit, with everything that’s been going on over the last couple of years, but there is no doubting his talent when he’s at his best.
“He’s one of West Ham’s best players and can do things their other players can’t.
“The problem now is, if he wants to leave, there is going to be interest in him.
“I expect Aston Villa will be keeping an eye on his situation because they came close to signing him in the summer, but it didn’t happen for one reason or another.
“I can see him doing well at somewhere like Villa, so they could come back in for him.
“If he’s still thinking about that Man City move, I don’t think that interest is still there, and they certainly won’t be willing to pay they money they were before.
“Since then, they’ve bought the likes of [Rayan] Cherki, [Tijjani] Reijnders, and they’ve got a lot of talented wide players, so I can’t see there’s any space for him there.
“I think that move to Villa would be most likely if he does leave West Ham, but that is a big if because they’re not going to want to lose him.”
However, Brown told Football Insider on 4 November that Nuno Espirito Santo has no plans to lose Paqueta despite the increasing speculation.
West Ham have no plans to lose Paqueta in January
Football Insider revealed on 31 October that West Ham will block Paqueta’s exit despite fears he could quit as he remains a crucial player in their squad.
The Brazil midfielder has featured in all 10 of the Hammers’ Premier League games this season and scored three goals, with his displays seen as a shining light.
Alongside Jarrod Bowen, Paqueta provides a much-needed bit of quality despite concerns about a number of players in Nuno’s current squad.
Meanwhile, former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson told Football Insider that West Ham will demand £50million to sell Paqueta in the mid-season window.
While Villa’s financial situation could prevent them for making such an expensive move, there is a growing feeling they would be among the favourites to land him.
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