West Ham fans are a simple lot, entertain us and try and get some wins- but get out there and do your damnedest. Anecdotally I think it was Billy Bonds who used to say something along the lines of ‘go out and get your shorts dirty ( i.e. stick in some hard tackles) and the crowd will love you’.
Lucas Paquetá has done so with varying degrees of success this season but generally, under Potter anyway, hasn’t been afraid of putting in a shift . Which is exactly what Potter needs from his Brazilian tomorrow. It was Paquetá who scored the first goal of the Potter era after about eight minutes and it is Paquetá who needs restoring to the line up to provide West Ham’s guile and craft at Goodison Park.
[_flashscore.com’s_](https://www.flashscore.com/news/soccer-premier-league-how-the-loss-of-lucas-paqueta-to-a-lifetime-ban-could-affect-west-ham/W02K1g9U/) article about Paquetá and the effect of a possible ban makes some very interesting reading and suggests that Hammers fans undervalue the benefit to the team of having the Brazilian in the line up:
“_20 games missed through injury since signing on the dotted line with the Hammers has meant that, for the most part, he has been available to play, however, take him out of the starting XI and things start to unravel.”_
_“At the beginning of 2024, Paquetá had to sit on the sidelines for seven games..in all of the games during his absence at that time, not a single match was won..”_
_“His most recent issue was an ankle injury between late February 2025 and early March. West Ham lost to Arsenal, beat lowly Leicester – who have lost 13 of their last 15 games – and lost again to Newcastle, though Paqueta would make an appearance as a 65th-minute substitute (by which time Graham Potter’s side were already behind).”_
Indeed the link between Paquetá’s selection and West Ham’s results may be tested more at the end of the FA enquiry if he is found guilty: in the meantime, surely Paquetá must start at Goodison Park tomorrow. As the report concludes,
_“What the 27-year-old does give his squad, however, is that little bit extra that no one else can.”_ Which is just what Graham Potter needs to unleash tomorrow afternoon.
_\*Paqueta of course denies all the allegations made against him_