There was a feeling of exuberance around West Ham United at the end of August 2022, when Lucas Paqueta joined the club. For those raised on the artistry of Trevor Brooking, the signing of Brazil‘s first-choice attacking midfielder was almost too good to be true. It meant that good times were surely coming, and the club could push on from a creditable seventh place in the Premier Leagueseason prior.
But things have not quite worked out like that. West Ham spent much of the campaign anxiously looking over their shoulder fearing relegation, and Paqueta has not always convinced. That will be forgotten on Wednesday night, however, if the player can help the club overcome Fiorentina, win the Europa Conference League final and claim West Ham’s first major continental title since 1965.
The venue in Prague has a capacity of under 20,000, surely too small for a decisive match between two traditional clubs, for a game that will go a long way to defining Paqueta’s debut season in English football.
In truth, his early problems with West Ham were not entirely unexpected. Paqueta is hugely talented and exceptionally versatile. As well as his favoured attacking midfield role he can operate from either flank, deeper in midfield or even as a centre forward. There have been games for Brazil where he has successfully carried out three different functions in the course of the 90 minutes.
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