West Ham fans all say the same thing about Lucas Paqueta leaving after what happened vs Sunderland
West Ham fans believe that they are a better team without Lucas Paqueta and would be better off selling him after they beat Sunderland 3-1 in his absence.
Paqueta has been one of West Ham‘s top performers over the last few years, despite off-field issues, with 139 appearances for the club since a 2022 move from Lyon.
Aston Villa were interested in Paqueta in the summer, but he remained at the London Stadium and confirmed his commitment to the Irons with a celebration that saw him slam an imaginary phone down after scoring against Nottingham Forest in August.
The Hammers have seriously struggled this season, however, and Football Insider revealed last month that Paqueta was on the radar of numerous top clubs ahead of a possible January move after a lack of impact under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Sources have now told Football Insider that West Ham are prepared to let Paqueta leave this month, amid interest from Flamengo, and they certainly did not miss him as he sat out of their win over Sunderland with an apparent back injury.
West Ham smashed Sunderland without Paqueta as Mateus Fernandes shone
Paqueta’s last Hammers appearance came on 6 January as they were beaten by fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, and they had already beaten QPR and Tottenham without him prior to Saturday’s clash.
Nuno’s side produced arguably their most complete performance of the campaign against the Black Cats as they raced into an unassailable 3-0 lead before half-time.
Goals from Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Fernandes were enough to seal an eventual 3-1 victory, with the latter’s strike being the pick of the bunch from long range.
The Portuguese midfielder has particularly shone without Paqueta in the side, and simply put, the Hammers played like a much better, more organised team on a fine afternoon at the London Stadium.
Hammers fans insist that they are better without Paqueta – ‘
During the match, The Athletic’s West Ham reporter, Roshane Thomas, took to X to pose a question to their supporters, as he asked: “Is this team better without Lucas Paqueta?“
An overwhelmingly similar response came from the majority of their supporters, with one saying: “100%. No idea why we haven’t taken the £35m and moved on. Use those funds to bring in someone who actually wants to be at the club and actually improve the team.“
Another replied to say: “Yes. He slows everything down. We’re so much better countering with pace. And Fernandes is a huge part of that. (Summerville too).”
While one fan added: “Been wanting him for two years now. One of the most overrated and inconsistent players in the league. Get him gone today!“