The January transfer window can often be a make-or-break month for teams fighting relegation at the wrong end of the Premier League.
Whether it’s failing to secure the reinforcements needed to battle against the drop, or losing a star man in the middle of a scrap at the bottom of the table, it’s very rare that those sides staring down the barrel don’t act during the winter transfer market.
West Ham United are very much in the current relegation fight, sitting five points from safety in 18th place, and are currently bracing for the loss of a key player.
West Ham braced for Lucas Pacqueta exit
Lucas Paqueta joined the Hammers in a £50 million move from French side Lyon in 2022 and quickly made an impact with the club, helping the Hammers win the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League, providing the assist for Jarrod Bowen’s late winner in the final against Fiorentina.
His career was threatened by a two-year investigation over spot-fixing charges, with the 28-year-old eventually cleared in July, but it would now appear that the Brazil international’s time in the Premier League is coming to a close.
Paqueta has expressed his desire to move back to Brazil and his former side Flamengo are reportedly close to bringing him back home in a £35m deal, with the two clubs in discussions over a payment schedule for the deal.
"What I can say is that we are close," Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista told ESPN. "We reached an agreement on several aspects, which I consider the most important. Today, the difference is the payment method we will use."
According to the BBC, Paqueta will rejoin his boyhood club in a move worth upwards of €41m once performance-related add-ons are taken into account.
Paqueta has 18 months left on his Hammers deal and is reported to have already agreed personal terms with his boyhood club after growing disillusioned with life in England following the FA’s investigation into him.
A minor back injury has kept him out of West Ham’s last three games, all of which they have won, with boss Nuno Espirito Santo set to use the transfer funds to bolster his squad for the run-in.
The Hammers have been in talks with Fulham over a deal for Adama Traore, with the Guardian adding that Nuno is also looking to add a goalkeeper, defender and midfielder.
In FourFourTwo’s view, losing a player of the calibre of Paqueta - who is valued at €35m by Transfermarkt - would be a blow for any club in the bottom half of the Premier League, but in this case, an amicable parting of ways would be the best move for all parties.
It is clear that Paqueta wants to return home and if West Ham can recruit smartly, they will be able to build on their current run of three wins on the bounce in all competitions and have Nottingham Forest and Leeds United nervously looking over their shoulders.
