Nuno Espirito Santo must swallow pride over exiled West Ham player amid Lucas Paqueta developments

Lucas Paqueta's desire to return to Brazil has left Nuno Espirito Santo and West Ham in a precarious position in the search for Premier League safety.

West Ham are seven points adrift of safety ahead of facing Tottenham on Saturday, 17 January, only above Burnley and Wolves with the second half of the 2025-26 campaign to play.

Mick Brown told Football Insider that Nuno could have four games to save his job, despite taking over just four months ago, having recorded just three wins during his 17 games in charge.

Now, if the situation wasn't already bad enough, the Hammers are at risk of losing one of their biggest names, with Paqueta being strongly linked with Flamengo this month.

Lucas Paqueta wants to leave West Ham in January

West Ham fans are furious with Paqueta for wanting to jump ship halfway through the season, likely sensing that the ship in question is going under, and filling up with water quickly.

Since he arrived at the London Stadium in 2022, though, very few players have recorded more goal contributions, so it would be devastating were he to leave this month, and the club couldn't replace him.

Despite two difficult seasons, likely affected by the FA's investigation into betting charges against him, his five goals and one assist have still been important, with only Jarrod Bowen offering more in the final third.

One player, who has the potential to save the Hammers' season, is currently exiled from the first-team squad, which is a regular occurrence whenever the player and manager meet at clubs.

Nuno Espirito Santo needs to consider James Ward-Prowse

Football Insider understands that West Ham want to sell James Ward-Prowse, who has not been involved in the squad since Nuno's appointment, and it's not the first time this has happened.

The two clearly do not see eye-to-eye, with the same happening at Nottingham Forest, but it is not obvious why the manager is so harsh on the 31-year-old creative genius.

During his first season in East London, the former Southampton captain bagged seven goals and 11 assists, and those are the type of numbers that could save Nuno's side from relegation.

If the manager weren't so stubborn, a return to the squad for the veteran midfielder would not be so difficult, but the situation is even more difficult than it already is, so begging might be required as a solution.