Tony Gale has predicted that West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta could follow Declan Rice’s path and exit the London Stadium for Arsenal.
The 26-year-old has once again been in excellent form for the Hammers this season, picking up five goals and five assists in 26 appearances in all competitions for David Moyes’ side leading to plenty of speculation over his future.
Paqueta had plenty of interest from Manchester City during the summer transfer window and while Sky Sports pundit Gale thinks he could be a success at the Etihad, he has tipped him to make the switch to the Emirates instead.
As quoted by Tribal Football on Friday (5 January) he said: “I think he’s a City player, again he’s a player we haven’t quite seen the best of but we saw the better of him in the last third of last season when he had adjusted to the pace of English football, the physicality of it and he quite welcomes [the physicality] as well.
“I think he can be top class, if he went to a Man City, you’d see him in a different position, his ball retention is brilliant. If he went to an Arsenal or Man City then his game would get better because he’s got better players around him and all of a sudden he sees more passes and more options.
“So, I think he’s going to be top, he’s going to be top, hopefully at our place though, don’t you sell him!”
Big fee needed
No matter where Paqueta ends up in the future, it is going to take a big fee to get him out of West Ham United given his excellent form this season. He has been one of the Hammers’ best players and one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.
The 26-year-old has outrageous technical ability and has proven to be a real difference-maker in the heart of Moyes’ midfield so it is only natural that teams higher up the Premier League football food chain will be eyeing a move for him.
With better players around him at the Etihad or the Emirates, he could likely kick on and reach a new level. But West Ham supporters won’t want to see him prised away from them any time soon.
Hopefully, he will be playing in claret and blue for a little while longer yet as there has been little indication he will be departing the London Stadium during the January window. The worst-case scenario will be losing him come the end of the season.
0 Comments