West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá is at the centre of another from Brazil. Journalist Fred Caldeira detailed stories about the midfielder during an appearance on a podcast.
The TNT Sports reporter said the midfielder was “completely absolved” of his betting charges, with only a warning for non-cooperation. According to him, the episode still caused damage to Paquetá’s career.
Caldeira explained that Manchester City had everything prepared to sign the West Ham playmaker in 2024. He said the deal was “100% done” and only a final procedural signature was missing.
That’s something the player himself spoke about recently.
At the time, Guardiola had called the player, and the club’s creative team had started preparing the welcome material. In his words, the “Welcome to City, Lucas Paquetá” artwork for social media was already designed.
However, he claimed the transfer would not happen in future, since Paquetá “needs to become that player again”.
Still, he highlighted that the Brazil international has been “an oasis” in the West Ham side, along with Jarrod Bowen, but insisted that a move to the Premier League’s top tier of clubs is now improbable.
The podcast also raised the prospect of a future return to Brazil. Caldeira said this depends on the player and noted that West Ham would still demand a high fee. He added that Paquetá, now 28, has “a lot of football left in him” and could regain top form if placed in a stronger team.
For now, Caldeira believes that his next steps will rely on performance, stability and the direction West Ham choose for the upcoming seasons.
