[Lucas Paquetá](https://www.claretandhugh.info/lucas-paquetas-huge-incentive-to-leave-in-june-report/) may be going through the motions in the last throes of his West Ham career: Whether Graham Potter decides to play him against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the likelihood of him being a Hammers player come the start of next season is diminishing rapidly. The FA inquiry is shortly to pass its judgement on Paqueta and the signs are becoming clear that either way, the Brazilian may be near the end of the road as a West Ham employee.
If the FA find against him, the lifetime ban awaits. There’s a growing groundswell of opinion that a ‘guilty’ verdict is less and less likely owing to the poor quality of evidence – but nobody can be sure until the verdict is announced.
If he is exonerated there is an increasing likelihood that he’ll be sold. Having rubbished the suggestions that Paqueta would go back to Brazil on loan, no such response was received from a West Ham spokesman when we asked about a sale, merely a reiteration that it would take time for the FA outcome to be delivered.
So we all draw our own conclusions from that – I’d suggest nothing until the FA inquiry issues its findings, but then Paquetá will be likely sold pretty swiftly if exonerated. Take the time to enjoy Lucas Paquetá if he gets on the pitch on Sunday – it might well be your last opportunity. Along with the four whose contracts have run down, plus soon to be departing loanees Carlos Soler and Evan Ferguson, Lucas Paqueta may well be making his last appearance in front of the home crowd.
_Lucas Paquetá has always maintained his innocence of all the FA allegations._