West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta has gone through a terrible time over the past 14 months or so.
Lucas Paqueta‘s world came crashing down around him in the summer of 2023, when it emerged that the West Ham midfielder was being investigated for four separate potential betting breaches.
Things got worse for the Brazil international, when it came to light a few months ago that he was then being charged for those four incidents, and it was suggested that he could face a multi-year ban, if proven guilty.
That would obviously be terrible news for Paqueta and of course, the Hammers.
Paqueta is in no man’s land right now, and his performances for West Ham and Brazil have been nowhere near the levels that are expected of him.
And then things got really bad, when it was claimed just a few days ago that Paqueta had been summoned to appear at a hearing on October 30th to testify in response to the allegations that he faces.
That date falls awkwardly between our Premier League clashes with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.
Now there has been some positive news for Paqueta and the Hammers though…
Lucas Paqueta boost for West Ham after new decision
The most frustrating thing about this whole situation is the time it is taking to reach a conclusion, one way or another.
As a result, the Hammers are stuck with a player who is not performing.
So even if we did want to sell him at the end of the season, he won’t be worth anywhere near what he was 12-18 months ago.
However, a small bit of good news has just emerged regarding the situation. Listen, we will take a small win anywhere we can right now!
Brazilian media outlet Senado Noticias claims that Paqueta will now only be required to attend the hearing via videoconference.
That’s very good news indeed for the Hammers as it means that the former Lyon man will not have to fly out to Brazil midway between two vitally important Premier League games.
All that we need now is for him to start performing to the levels that we all know he’s capable of.
That will be easier said than done though unfortunately…
Lucas Paqueta struggles must be down to ongoing investigation
It must be so hard for Lucas to focus on playing football, with such uncertainty surrounding his future right now.
He doesn’t actually know if he will be allowed to play football again, once a decision has been made regarding the charges levelled against him.
Hopefully everything turns out the way we want, and Paqueta is cleared of all the charges he’s facing.
When the Brazilian is firing on all cylinders, he’s truly unplayable, and he makes such a huge difference to the Hammers in the way that we play.
West Ham need Lucas Paqueta back to his very best as soon as possible. He desperately needs closure on the situation that he’s in right now.
Unfortunately though, it may well rumble on into next year.
Hopefully the hearing with the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry goes well for Lucas. Everyone involved with West Ham is behind him, that’s for sure.
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