Claret & Hugh have spoken to a top source at West Ham to get some clarity on reports that they have hired a crack legal team to help exonerate Lucas Paquetá from his betting charges.
Yesterday, The Sun reported that the Hammers had enlisted top solicitor Nick De Marco to defend Paquetá in his bid to avoid a lifetime ban that would exclude him from football forever.
De Marco, who recently helped Leicester City escape a points deduction, was reported as working to clear Paquetá of four allegations of spot-fixing following the Hammers’ decision to appoint him.
However, a top club insider was keen to put the record straight when we spoke to them late last night.
“He [Paquetá] hires the lawyers, NOT us, and as far as I know, he has not changed his team.” That was the response when we asked directly if the club had enlisted the help of De Marco following the FA’s decision to add two more charges to the list of betting allegations already being faced by the Brazilian.
Of course, the news doesn’t mean that De Marco can’t be hired by ‘Team Paquetá,’ but he is certainly not being hired by the club.
I must say that I’m somewhat surprised to learn that the player is fighting allegations with his own legal team, but it would go some way to explaining why the club is often in the dark regarding this case.