**ASTON VILLA** have finally run the white flag up the pole, admitted defeat and abandoned their attempts to sign West Ham’s **Lucas Paquetá**: You’ll see no official announcement of their retreat but fresh news broken by in-the-know [Fabrizio Romano](https://x.com/FabrizioRomano) that the ‘Villa have pivoted and signed another long term West Ham target signals the end of their highly controversial attempts to accomplish a last-minute ‘steal’ of West Ham’s Brazilian magnifico.
Which is good news for West Ham, the fans and quite possibly the player himself who made his own intentions clear after an emotional man-of-the-match performance yesterday against Nottingham Forest.
Romano confirmed Villa’s decision with a customary ‘here we go’: Instead of Paquetá, Unai Emery’s Black Country side have landed one-time West Ham target **Harvey Elliott** for some £35 million plus add-ons. Great signing, could have done with him at London Stadium but Elliot was never heading to an unfashionable east London destination.
In any case, Paq-man in his current form has the capacity to be a world class player. And he’s a Hammer for another year.