By Louis Nixon

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior recently spoke to the media about Lucas Paqueta’s departure from West Ham to Flamengo and expressed hope that “in the next few days” he could secure a move back to Flamengo. 

Initially, for context, Vinicius Junior and Lucas Paqueta both played for Flamengo and had a close friendship before the pair eventually secured moves to other clubs.

He claims to this day that “His happiness is mine, and Flamengo’s happiness is ours”, whilst this may seem as an endering compliment to the eye, this is obviously a last-ditch attempt in hoping to get the deal across the line as Flamengo are financially limited and there only hope in the Hammers reducing the price is the pressure that Paqueta puts on. 

When someone such as Vinicius Junior makes a claim and statement as such, it throws a spanner in the works. It is a very well-phrased statement, given how he mentions asking his “agents every day about Paqueta and his move to Flamengo, who are also his [Paqueta’s] agents”.

West Ham are continuing to hold out for the fee that is wanted for Lucas Paqueta, which is reasonable considering we’re in a relegation fight and it is towards the end of the window. Giving in doesn’t solve any of our issues, it’s unlikely that a replacement for Paqueta will be found in such a short time, and more likely than not, the fee that we’re asking for on paper might seem significant, but it’s expected that Flamengo will be paying across a very lengthy period of time. 

As for what gets placed out to the media, it does appear at this moment in time we might find ourselves in a situation where Paqueta could force to not play, but the outside pressure from individuals, such as Vincicius himself, is an attempt to force that gimmic upon fans and the club, all of which builds up pressure which would create panic, ultimately leading to a cheaper fee for Flamengo, which they could afford. 

Whether we choose to acknowledge or ignore these mindgames remain to be seen, but the fact of the matter is that Lucas Paqueta is currently a West Ham player and is so until 2027, in which West Ham also has an option to extend for a year, so there’s certainly no waiting out the contract! 

Most importantly, the club have to make sure that this situation doesn’t go from bad to worse, it’s already got all the structure to become ugly, let’s hope a resolution can come around quickly.