West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been affected both mentally and physically since he has been investigating for breaching betting rules. 

As every single West Ham fan already knows, Lucas Paqueta has been under investigation by the Football Association since August 2023, for allegedly getting himself booked in four matches.

If found guilty, Paqueta could be banned for life, and it has really taken it’s toll on the 27-year-0ld. He was in tears after being booked against Tottenham two weeks ago, after which Potter said he was “frustrated” and had “given everything and in difficult circumstances”.

After the match, Paqueta’s wife Maria Fournier said in an Instagram post that they had “been living this nightmare for two years”. Due to this, the 55-capped Brazil International was left on the bench for the 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Potter confirmed Hammers fans’ worries, saying: “It has taken its toll on him. The week he had was a particularly tough week for him personally,” Potter said.

“As a result of that, he was feeling under the weather on the day before the game and the day of the game, so I didn’t want to risk him and make it worse for him.

“Sometimes stress, pressure, can manifest itself in a different way. Generally, he’s come in and conducted himself in a really good way. He’s handled it really well.”

Despite his troubles, Paqueta is one of the only players who has improved under Graham Potter. Especially towards the start of Potters reign, his performances really got better.

If proven guilty, he will never play for West Ham again. However, even if he is proven innocent, he will also most likely never play for West Ham again. It’s clear that Paqueta loves the club and the fans, but it makes total sense for him to want to get a fresh start.

A move to Brazil looks like the most likely scenario, with his price tag more than halving since his move to Manchester City fell through. However, rumours of Paqueta moving to City haven’t gone away. They just pulled out of the race for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz due to the cost; their other target, Morgan Gibbs-White, may also be too pricey. So, they could well make a move for the Brazilian.