Lucas Paqueta: West Ham have a win-win scenario with Brazil star thanks to readymade replacement

Robin Bairner

Updated: 17 Jan 2026 13:37 GMT
7 min read

Lucas Paqueta, West Ham, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta problem can be solved by the Hammers looking to Juventus for inspiration to pick up a Premier League-proven player.

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With Paqueta pushing to return to Brazil, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side should be looking at picking up Weston McKennie from the Serie A side – and based on the evidence, there’s a good chance they may already be.

Transfer expert Ben Jacobs has revealed that two unnamed English sides are investigating the possibility of signing McKennie.

Current ETV

Lucas Paquetá

AM, M (C)

West Ham

Lucas Paquetá

AM, M (C)

West Ham

ETV Range

€56.2M - €68.7M

“Weston McKennie has received initial approaches from two Premier League clubs,” he reported on X. “Also interest from Atletico Madrid.”

“27-year-old Juventus midfielder could move this winter with his contract set to expire in summer.

“Juventus have a £10m+ valuation.”

There’s a lot to unpack here, but it all points to good news for West Ham. Here’s why.

McKennie an ideal Paqueta replacement

First up, McKennie is an excellent fit to replace Paqueta, who may be one of West Ham’s leaders but has not shown it on the field this season.

A return of four goals from 18 matches is not too bad, yet only two of these have come since August while his overall performance compared to central midfield players is rated among the poorest in the Premier League, according to data analytics experts SciSports.

What appears to be a big gap to be plugged suddenly does not seem so great.

In seeking players of a similar Paqueta, McKennie immediately springs out. He possesses a very similar style to the West Ham midfielder, according to SciSports. The US international also has powers in terms of his finishing, offensive positioning and passing – the three key attributes that SciSports picked out as Paqueta’s super strengths.

Indeed, his overall level is a close match, too. McKennie has a SciSkill rating of 97.4 (based on an algorithm that calculates hundreds of in-game data points over a prolonged period) while Paqueta hits 97.5.

The money works

How do the finances of the deal weigh up then? For West Ham, this is also looking pretty good.

The Irons ideally want €57.5 million (£50m) for their player, which is a reasonable fee given his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is up at €62.4m. A discount is understandable given he wants to go and their bargaining position is therefore weaker.

They could, however, accept €40m if Paqueta stays until the summer. Let’s assume that in the worst-case scenario they are forced to sell at that price immediately. The Hammers might not be getting value for Paqueta, but at least they would come out of this situation with some profit.

McKennie is up for sale by Juventus for around €12m.

West Ham can still be winners from Paqueta deal

A perfect outcome for West Ham is possible. Sky Sports reports they are willing to sell Paqueta now and loan him back until the end of the season. In turn, this would allow them to move for his perfect replacement McKennie in the summer.

Transfers rarely work so neatly, but if West Ham could pull this one off, it would be win-win all round.

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