West Ham told to ‘stop his wages’ as ex-refs chief stunned by ‘childish’ Lucas Paqueta, ‘Get him a sports psychologist’
West Ham must offer Lucas Paqueta serious help after the Brazilian got himself sent off during the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Darren England was partly to blame for the attacker getting his marching orders at the London Stadium.
Captain Jarrod Bowen failed to pull the player away from the referee, with the 28-year-old originally being booked for taking out Dominik Szoboszlai, and then sarcastically applauding on his way off the pitch.
Paqueta had only just returned from suspension, having picked up five yellow cards in the Premier League, when he earned himself two consecutive bookings due to arguing with the referee.
Lucas Paqueta could benefit from a psychologist at West Ham
Hackett has previously suggested that Nicolas Jackson required a psychologist at Chelsea, having frustrated those at Stamford Bridge with multiple red cards before joining Bayern Munich.
The former PGMOL boss believes West Ham‘s star would benefit from similar treatment after being investigated by the FA for betting allegations over the past two years.
He was cleared of the charges, but in an explosive message on social media at full-time, the player still blames the authorities for his mental health, claims which some fans have hit back against.
Nuno Espirito Santo will now be without Paqueta for at least three matches, but after sarcastically applauding the referee on the way off the pitch, it could be extended by the authorities.
Keith Hackett tells West Ham to ‘stop his wages’ after lash-out vs Liverpool
Hackett, exclusively speaking to Football Insider on The Final Whistle, said: “If I were the manager, I’d stop his wages and say, ‘Look, it’s not good for the team’, and it isn’t.
“It’s petty, it’s childish, and he was never going to win the argument. Opposition teams do their homework, and they will know the attitude of individual players and how they respond.
“It’s down to his manager, first of all. Get him in front of a sports psychologist to talk about pressure, body language, and control the passion. If he thinks he’s got a chip on his shoulder, how can you get rid of that?
“He’s gone face-first into a referee; he’s left the referee no option. The referee has rightly carried out the sanctions. It’s down to the club to avoid it.
“Applauding the referee for making a decision is great, because it’ll only add more banning to his sanction.”