Stefan Borson: West Ham missed out on ‘amazing’ Man City deal, it was ‘on the verge’ of being completed
West Ham decided to grant Lucas Paqueta his wish of returning to Brazil following his spot-fixing saga.
Paqueta was cleared of his spot-fixing charges last July after an independent regulatory commission found them to be “not proven” following a hearing earlier in the year.
However, the situation cost Paqueta a move to Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s side were willing to pay £80million for his signature in the summer of 2023.
The deal collapsed after news emerged of the FA’s investigation, with Man City deciding to pull the plug on the transfer.
Paqueta has now returned to Flamengo, where he came through the ranks, with the deal worth around £36million to West Ham.
Why West Ham have ‘lost a lot of money’ in Lucas Paqueta deal
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider selling Paqueta to Guardiola’s side would have been an “amazing” deal for West Ham.
The Hammers signed the Brazil international from Lyon in a deal worth an initial £36.5m and up to £14.4m in add-ons in the summer of 2022.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “It’s just unfortunate that what happened is they ended up losing a lot of money on the back of the charges really.
“I think it would have been an amazing sale to City. I can’t help but think it would have been an overprice for the player.
“As good as he is, I never felt he was an £80m player, but City were clearly on the verge of doing that deal.”
How Paqueta ‘burnt his bridges’ with the West Ham fans
Borson insisted Paqueta “burnt his bridges” with West Ham and the club’s fans before completing his move to Flamengo.
“I think it’s a good deal all round really,” said Borson.
“He wanted to go. I think he’s burnt his bridges with the fans and burnt his bridges with the club. It is time to move on. It’s not a killer fee, but it’s an okay fee.
“It’s just a shame that they spent a fortune defending him and he ends up exiting for a modest fee really.”
Paqueta missed a huge chance on his second debut for Flamengo as they lost 2-0 to Corinthians on Sunday (1 February).
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