Lucas Paqueta
(Credit: Imago)
Rahul Lakhani
Sat 9 August 2025 17:13, UK
West Ham battled to a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 side Lille in their final pre-season friendly before competitive action returns.
An outstanding goal from former Premier League attacker Olivier Giroud on the stroke of half time gave the visitors the lead, but the Hammers responded late on through Niclas Fullkrug.
Graham Potter’s side grew into the game and played fairly well, and eventually found the finishing touch after some promising attacking moves.
There was a penalty shootout after 90 minutes, and West Ham secured the victory as Alphonse Areola made two strong saves.
West Ham played a strong team with a few surprise selections, but there are still questions remaining over some players ahead of the Premier League season.
Graham Potter smiling
Potter will have been impressed by some of his side’s play (Credit: Imago)
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Paqueta disappoints vs Lille
Lucas Paqueta faces an uncertain future at West Ham, and his latest performance would have done him no favours regardless of where he ends up.
The Brazilian failed to make an impact going forward, and was very loose in possession, with some careless giveaways throughout the game.
Paqueta was also lucky to avoid a red card after a poor touch saw him lunge in for what turned out to be a heavy tackle, while his work rate hardly set an example to follow.
On a day where other attacking players were impressive, Paqueta was far from his best, and fans will certainly question whether his future lies at the London Stadium.
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta's seasons.
Paqueta struggled last season (Credit: Imago)
El Hadji Malick Diouf impresses again
New signing El Hadji Malick Diouf has been the star of pre-season, and he wowed the home fans with a terrific performance.
Playing as a wing-back, Diouf bombed up the left side throughout the game, and constantly delivered dangerous crosses into the area.
El Hadji Malick Diouf Chance Liga 2024/25 (per 90)
Crosses 7.37
Crosses into penalty area 1.66
Key passes 1.96
Diouf impressed going forward last season
His combination of speed and skill makes him a terrific attacking option on the left, with the system clearly geared to allow him to push higher up, and he is now set to make a major impact this season.
West Ham player ratings vs Lille
Alphonse Areola – 7
Nayef Aguerd – 7
Jean-Clair Todibo – 7
Max Kilman – 6
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7
James Ward-Prowse – 6
Freddie Potts – 7
Lucas Paqueta – 4
El Hadji Malick Diouf – 9
Jarrod Bowen – 7
Niclas Fullkrug – 8
Substitutes
Tomas Soucek – 8
Guido Rodriguez – 6
Kyle Walker-Peters – 6
Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.
Related Posts