Watching from his home in Rio, former Hammer Lucas Paqueta posted on his social media on Monday that he was cheering on his former teammates. The message simply said "COYI" as he recorded watching captain Jarrod Bowen execute on a penalty in the first half. He also did the courtesy of tagging his former teammate along with fire and heart emojis. Paqueta's last appearance for West Ham came in a 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on January 6, which now feels like ages ago considering the team's current form. After the crucial loss to their relegation rivals, they were considered dead and buried. What has transpired since seems like a revelation. Questions do remain: Has the team performed better without him? Was Paquetá detrimental to team chemistry? Has his exit removed a major distraction, lifting a heavy burden off the squad?
As reported last week at GSH, the squad seemed to come together after Bowen penned a letter to fans where he asked for patience and forgiveness. He bore the blame and admitted he was not at his best in the first half of the season. The letter seemed to galvanize not only the fans but his teammates, who felt the weight of his burden and wanted to lighten the load. A source within the changing room admitted every player felt that letter and recommitted to the fight. They didn't want their captain taking on the fight alone.
While the letter seemed to touch everyone, one person it didn't make a difference for was Paqueta. He was still on the squad when it came out and just about 3 weeks before he was officially transferred. Instead of recommitting, Paqueta chose to make himself unavailable citing a back issue. He informed manager Nuno Espírito Santo and team officials he didn't want to make his injury worse just in case he was leaving. As he was pressed, he finally admitted that his days playing for West Ham were over. Team officials told Nuno they would pull the trigger on a transfer sometime in January. According to a source, Flamengo and a Premier League team were in talks with owenership about the Brazilian. Upon finding out about a second team, Paqueta became distraught and informed West Ham he would only go home. His insistence angered ownership and a conflict began with Paqueta's representation.
Majority owner David Sullivan threatened Paqueta's reps by saying there was no pressure for them to move the player now and he should play out the season and they would honor a transfer in the summer. Paqueta again protested saying he would never play again for the East London side and the best situation for all involved would be to figure out an arrangement with his former club, Flamengo.
Nuno saw this as an opening. After wins against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup tie and a last minute exhilarating victory over bitter rivals Tottenham, the manager felt he could appeal to Paqueta. "[Nuno] felt the victories displayed a team camaraderie it hadn't shown earlier in the season," the source said. "With Taty [Castellanos] and [Pablo Felipe] coming in he had a plan for Lucas on how they would be deployed as a unit."
Nuno asked for a meeting with his veteran player. Paquetá granted it. At that meeting, Nuno was joined by newly appointed assistant coach Paco Jémez. The manager highlighted Paquetá's unique qualities as a creative number 10, his past contributions, and both coaches ran through what the new offense would look like and how Paquetá would play a pivotal role. Nuno emphasized that he was the missing piece and he was necessary in their fight together to avoid relegation. Lastly, he asked the player if he had read Bowen's letter to fans. He hadn't. Nuno ended their meeting by quoting portions of the letter and reiterated how much the squad needed him now.
Shortly after the meeting Paqueta's reps informed Sullivan that personal terms with Flamengo had been agreed to, and West Ham's number 10 wanted to go before the end of January. Nuno would later tell the press that Paquetá was "unique" and "irreplaceable," but insisted the club must "move forward with what we have." The Portuguese manager addressed his team and informed them that Paqueta would no longer be part of the squad's plans.
Players seemed to take the news well the source said and West Ham's results in Paquetá's prolonged absence (and post-exit) show resilience: fewer defeats, more wins, and greater unity. While he contributed significantly in prior seasons (23 goals, 15 assists in 139 appearances), his final months highlighted tensions that his exit resolved.
There was never any friction between Paqueta and his teammates throughout this process but the "weight" of the situation seemed to let the team exhale from the uncertainty. "They'll never admit to it, because they all love Lucas," the source said. "Clearly they have moved on and whether it was a distraction or a burden, it was just positive to get closure."
For Paqueta, his Flamengo debut was underwhelming—he missed a key chance in a Supercup loss—but his homecoming fulfills a personal dream. Just over a month into his homecoming the Flamengo's manager Felipe Luis who had fought so hard to get Paqueta, was fired just 4 matches after bringing him in. Paqueta now plays right wing for the Brazilian side and has not been featured in his natural midfield position. For West Ham, the £36.5m fee provided funds, but more importantly, it removes a lingering cloud. The resurgence predated and continued after his exit, suggesting the team has adapted and perhaps even benefited from the change.
West Ham's climb from relegation peril demonstrates they can thrive despite—or even because of—Paquetá's departure. The distraction was real, the chemistry strained, and now, with the burden lifted, the Hammers march forward with renewed purpose. Survival looks far more achievable than it did in early January.