To think, there is a world in which Lucas Paqueta left West Ham United for Aston Villa, and the forgotten man that is Harvey Elliott ended up replacing the Brazilian at the London Stadium.
As it is, after Aston Villa failed to meet West Ham’s asking price and Lucas Paqueta put an end to the speculation with a celebration that could one day go down in London Stadium folklore, it is Harvey Elliott who will go into 2026 desperate for a clean break.
Nuno is convinced that Paqueta will stay with West Ham United. Until next summer, at the very least.
Hammers News can confirm that David Sullivan has rejected a £50 million offer from Saudi Arabia already. With their Premier League lives on the line, it may take a lot more than that for the Londoners to even consider cashing in.
Lucas Paqueta snubbed Aston Villa in STYLE!
What is your favourite-ever West Ham goal celebration?
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The same cannot be said, though, of Aston Villa and Harvey Elliott. One suspects this season’s dark horses would tear your arm off at the joint if you offered them a route out of a potential £35 million charge.
Particularly after Unai Emery confirmed that Elliott, a Premier League champion with Liverpool, has not even travelled to Switzerland for Thursday’s clash with FC Basel.
Unai Emery wanted West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta rather than Harvey Elliott
According to The Athletic, West Ham were put off by Liverpool’s £35 million valuation last summer.
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Talks were reportedly held with Arne Slot’s side regarding the England Under-21 international. But with reinforcements desperately needed in deeper midfield areas, and with Paqueta staying put following his acquittal from spot-fixing charges, West Ham opted to spend around £55 million bringing Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa to the capital instead.
Aston Villa Unveil New Signing Harvey Elliott
Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Ironically enough, Elliott then joined Aston Villa once Emery had accepted defeat in his pursuit of Paqueta.
Three months on, one start and 168 minutes of football is all Elliott has to show for his time at Villa Park. A tally he will not be adding to in the Europa League clash with Basel.
“We are speaking with him and about his situation,” Emery told reporters in his pre-match press conference. “He is not here with us.”
Aston Villa may be trying to get out of spending £35 million
Due to the terms of Elliott’s loan deal, Aston Villa would be required to spend £35 million on signing him permanently once he has played ten Premier League games for the club. Given that Elliott hasn’t even been part of the matchday squad since October, and hasn’t featured at all since September, you will not need Emery to tell you how Villa feel about that.
“He is on loan playing with us, but he is not definitely adding to us with a permanent contract,” the former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss explains.
“Hopefully we can get the best for him and the best for us. I respect him as a player and as a person. He is training well, but we have one circumstance with him. Hopefully we can get a solution for him to try to play consistently and try to continue in his career with us or not.”
What is YOUR favourite Lucas Paqueta moment, and why?
Lucas Paqueta of West Ham United celebrates after scoring a opening goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea at London Stadium on August 22, 2025 in London, England. Fans walk past the West Ham United club badge / crest before the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea at London Stadium on March 6, 2017 in Stratford, England.
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Elliott appears to be a victim of the divisions behind the scenes at Villa Park.
According to The Athletic, it appears that Elliott was somewhat foisted on Emery. He wanted Paqueta from the get-go. The common consensus is that Elliott was picked by Monchi, the former head of football operations who would depart only a few weeks after that deadline-day switch.
Could West Ham return for Elliott if Paqueta leaves in 2026?
There should, though, be plenty of clubs who can find a place for a footballer whose flexibility and technical qualities made him an important part of the squad at Liverpool. Perhaps even West Ham could return six months from now, with the noises from Lucas Paqueta’s camp suggesting this will be the Brazilian’s final season in London.
“It’s not time to say goodbye yet!” Paqueta wrote in a September social media post which created more questions than answers. “Let’s go together for one more season!”
Speaking after that baffling red card against Liverpool, his second suspension in November alone, Nuno insisted that Paqueta would get the backing he needs for as long as he remains a West Ham player.
Paqueta delivered the response Nuno wanted on his return, too; Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Brighton.
“He’s not okay. He’s suffering. He is disappointed. He is sad, but he realised the mistake that he made. And he’s willing to move forward,” Nuno said. This is what people sometimes are not aware of; all the problems that football players endure. But Lucas, I think, is going to overcome this situation.
“I think it is affecting him, but he’s willing to move forward, to try and put this aside and to continue to play football in the way that he does.
“What I can assure you is that here at the club, we have all the support that the players need. Not only Lucas, but all the players and the staff. We have processes in the club that help and are willing to provide assistance here in the club.”
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