West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta might never play football again if the verdict goes against him in his betting breaches case according to finance expert Stefan Borson via Football Insider.
Paquets was charged by the FA with six counts of spot-fixing in May 2024. There was some controversy surrounding yellow cards he received in four Premier League games, however, the Brazillian is still denying all charges.
The governing body kept the attacking midfielder’s phone for eight weeks last year while investigators analysed his call log, messages and bank records. The Sun reported on 8 October the FA went back at a later date to ask Paqueta for more access to his phone to check further details, but he was unable to find it.
Stefan Borson suggested Paqueta is likely feeling nervous because of the potential punishment he could face if he is found guilty. The finance expert said: “I’m sure he will have a fair trial. He’s probably very nervous because clearly if he loses, it’s going to be very hard for him to play again, certainly in the Premier League. think that would be basically impossible.
“But he might not play again period if he’s done what has been alleged, so you can understand that he’s nervous about it. It’s his entire career.”
Unsurprisingly, Lucas Paqueta’s performances haven’t been quite the same since the rumours of a charge bagen and have declined even more since he was charged. The Hammers are in a really poor run of form and manager Julen Lopetegui needs Paqueta, who is undoubtedly one of the club’s most talented players, to perform.