The biggest story of the transfer window was undoubtedly Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, but West Ham United had their own saga going on.
For a moment in time, it looked like Lucas Paqueta might have been leaving the club, with Aston Villa reportedly keen to sign him.
However, to the delight of the fans, the Brazilian maestro made it abundantly clear in his celebration against Nottingham Forest that he had no intention of leaving.
The former Lyon ace has been a brilliant player for the Hammers, although they did once come close to signing an upgrade who is now worth more than Isak.
Paqueta's West Ham career
It would be fair to say that since joining the club for around £51m in the summer of 2022, Paqueta hasn’t always had the easiest time of it at West Ham.
However, when you discount the off-pitch issues, it’s impossible to deny that he’s been more than worth the investment the Hammers initially made in him.
For example, despite playing under several different managers and in various systems, the 28-year-old has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 14 assists in 124 games.
That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.54 games, and, crucially, he produced five goal involvements in the club’s historic Conference League winning campaign.
In all, Paqueta remains one of the most talented players in West Ham’s squad, and someone who could make all the difference for them in what could still be a tough season.
Yet, things could have been very different, as just a couple of years ago, the club came close to signing someone who would have been a significant upgrade, someone now worth more than Isak.
The Paqueta upgrade West Ham almost signed
All clubs have their own list of star players they’ve missed out on over the years, and West Ham is obviously no different.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.
However, there are some players who are worse to miss out on than others, and that is certainly the case for Cole Palmer.
Yes, according to David Moyes, the Hammers were very “close” to getting the former Manchester City gem before his move to Chelsea, but the deal broke down, in part because Paqueta’s potential move to City fell apart.
It would have been an utterly sensational signing for the East Londoners, for good as the Brazilian is, the Englishman would be an upgrade.
For example, since moving to Stamford Bridge, the “world-class” superstar, as dubbed by Pat Nevin, has scored 43 goals and provided 29 assists in 98 appearances, totalling 7950 minutes.
Appearances
98
124
Minutes
7950′
9340′
Goals
43
21
Assists
29
14
Goal Involvements per Match
0.73
0.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
110.41′
266.85′
That means he’s averaged a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 110.41 minutes, with the West Londoners, which is an outrageous rate of return.
Unsurprisingly, his out-of-this-world ability has seen his valuation skyrocket over the last couple of years, and according to the CIES Football Observatory, he is now worth up to 164m, which is about £142m, or £18m more than Liverpool paid for Isak.
Ultimately, there is no point crying over spilt milk, but we can’t help but think West Ham would be in a better position today had they secured a deal for Palmer two years ago.
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ByDominic Lund