West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá has revealed he received psychological support from professionals after a blockbuster £85 million transfer to Manchester City collapsed at the last minute.
The Brazilian was closing on a move to the then-Premier League champions before being accused of breaching gambling regulations in 2023.
In August of that year, Paquetá was revealed to be under investigation for allegedly receiving intentional yellow cards, and the Brazil international faced a lifetime ban when he was formally charged for doing so one year later.
After a hearing, however, Paquetá was cleared of all gambling charges in July 2025, bringing an end to an ugly two-year saga which, according to the 28-year-old, left him mourning the collapse of his proposed move to City—which was due to be worth a whopping £85 million ($111.8 million) before the charges forced Pep Guardiola’s side to walk away.
“Everyone knows that I really had a transfer to City,” he told Globo Esporte. “I probably would have signed the week I received the letter [with the charges].“
Paqueta: Fear Was Generated in Us
Paquetá continued: “Professionally speaking, I lost that, that transfer, a leap in my career. Psychologically, I think that’s where I was most affected, by the fear of this indecision, the uncertainty of my future, despite knowing who I am, what I do, what I’ve done. But, due to the circumstances of the investigations and the way the federation handled everything, it generated fear in us.
“Psychologically, it was difficult for me; I had psychological support to deal with all of this, with some of the problems. But, as I said, understanding the reason for everything, that it was God’s work, being able to share a little of my encounter with Him, being a testimony of faith and resilience, I think that’s what I take away from it, that was my victory.
“I’m happy, much lighter. That fear is behind me. What they said would be three months lasted two years, and I was able to prove my innocence, win this case, and be able to do what I love normally.”
‘The Biggest Betting Scandal in Football History’
While happy to emerge victorious, Paquetá made it clear he was not prepared to simply walk away from the turmoil of the past two years.
It emerged in September that Paquetá was considering suing the Football Association over the allegations. According to The Guardian, the Brazil international would not look to recover the earnings he would have enjoyed at City, but rather the legal costs of fighting his case.
“There’s a lot more I want to talk about, in more detail,” Paquetá vowed. “But that will be at another time, and people will be able to see the magnitude of what happened, the biggest betting scandal in the history of English football, the details of what I went through, not what has been reported, because a lot of what has been said isn’t true. I will clarify everything.
“I’m preparing myself, putting together a way to tell this story better, with more details, so that it’s clearer and people can understand the magnitude and gravity of what happened. And, obviously, to tell my side of the story in detail: the trial, meetings, interviews with the Federation, all sorts of details that they sometimes presented in a negative way, but which weren’t true.”
Asked whether he was delaying revealing all the details for either legal or personal reasons, Paquetá simply concluded: “Both.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lucas Paqueta Reveals Devastating Effect of Collapsed £85 Million Transfer.
