In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, journalist Dean Jones claimed that Manchester City remain keen on recruiting West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta. Jones said,
“I don’t think that Aston Villa would be a bad move for Paqueta, to be honest. But, if he is going to leave West Ham, it’s going to take something special in terms of what they are promising him for the future.
“Considering his performances across the season, you could probably say that he is West Ham’s most important player in terms of making that team tick.
“Villa obviously have their work cut out in terms of signing him because I have heard that Manchester City are still interested in him and might have something to say about where he goes next.
“I can’t believe for one second that Villa would be able to sign Paqueta without some competition from Manchester City.
“It’s a tough deal to do – and probably expensive – but I think it is also a reflection of just where Villa are right now and where they’re heading.”
Paqueta’s Impressive Numbers At The London Stadium This Season
The 26-year-old is having an impressive campaign at the London club after he produced a string of eye-catching performer for them in the final third. Paqueta has featured in 29 matches for West Ham this season, scoring five times and picked up six assists in various competitions.
The talented playmaker has given a good account of himself by averaging 3.2 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 1.5 shots, 1.7 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game in the Premier League. He has even interchanged possession with his teammates relatively well based on his pass success rate of 76.9% in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Should Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Get Paqueta On Board?
Paqueta usually works hard for his team defensively and can make a few driving runs with the ball in the opponent’s half. He has got the vision to engineer a few promising chances for others around him and can shoot the ball with venom and accuracy from long range.
The Brazil international is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also play as a box-to-box midfielder or as a left-sided wide player if required. He would undoubtedly enhance the quality of Man City boss Pep Guardiola‘s first XI.
At 26, Paqueta has his best years ahead of him which makes him a decent fit for the Mancunian club‘s needs this summer. He might even help the Premier League giants compete for a lot of major honours over the next few years. Thus, Guardiola would be wise to get him on board later this year.
