Lucas Paqueta has just opened a whole can of worms with his comments on outgoing West Ham United manager David Moyes.
David Moyes brought Lucas Paqueta to West Ham from Lyon back in the summer of 2022 for a fee worth around £50 million.
The Brazilian has thrilled the Hammers fans during his two-year spell at the London Stadium, but rumours are rife that he could leave to join Manchester City this summer.
In fairness to Paqueta, he did dismiss those rumours two weeks ago by suggesting that he is only focused on West Ham.
The Brazilian said, “I have to do my job here at West Ham. I have great respect for the club. I’m very happy here, if you say no, I’ll be lying. Of course it involves a lot of things that are happening off the field, but I’m still focused on doing my best, finishing the season well. I started well, I hope to finish well. What they say (about Manchester City) is everything from the last window. Now, it’s time to finish the season and wait for what will happen.”
The 26-year-old’s form has dipped over the past month or so, but he has been very good indeed for us on the whole this season.
Paqueta has worked his way back into the Brazil national team, so that obviously says something about his form.
And now the talented South American has opened up on how he really feels about Moyes, and the Scot’s influence on his career…
Lucas Paqueta makes honest David Moyes admission
There are many people out there who look at the Brazilian and think that he just cannot be happy playing under Moyes.
It’s surely just impossible for a maverick with so much creativity and guile to flourish under a manager who insists on defensive responsibility and limits players’ freedom to express themselves.
Or is it? Paqueta has an inherent need to entertain the fans watching him play, and Moyes has admitted in the past that he has to manage him differently to other players.
The Brazilian brings so much joy to the West Ham fans, his teammates and his manager of course. Because of that, we all accept the poor sides to his game, like the play-acting and wastefulness in possession.
Whether or not he’ll be here next season to play under incoming Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui remains to be seen.
One thing that is clear though is his unwavering opinion of the current West Ham manager…
Paqueta opens up on Moyes relationship
“I’m very grateful to the coach for what he’s done here,” Paqueta told ESPN Brasil.
“He’s made his mark on the club’s history by winning the Conference League, coming strong in European leagues. He deserves all my recognition for his achievements and he’s always been a very fair person, one who speaks in front of you, looks you in the eye and hugs you,” he said.
The Brazilian explained, “I’ve had a lot of coaches in Europe and not all of them are like him. He’s always been a very loyal person, so he deserves the recognition.”
Now, Paqueta is clearly speaking his truth about Moyes here, because if he didn’t really believe those things he said, he quite simply wouldn’t have said them at all.
The former Lyon man is obviously a huge fan of Moyes, specifically his man-management skills – something that the Scot has been criticised for throughout his last 10 years in football management (Daily Mail).
Lucas Paqueta made it very clear just how much he respects David Moyes though, so have West Ham made a big mistake by letting him leave? The short answer to that question is no in my opinion, in spite of Paqueta’s praise for the 61-year-old.
He may well be a class act off the pitch, but his team are far from that on the pitch. The football has regressed beyond all recognition this season, and a change was desperately needed at the club.
It’s obvious to see that Moyes will be missed by certain players though. And the comments from Paqueta prove just how popular the Scot is in the Hammers dressing room. Lopetegui has big shoes to fill.
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