West Ham United have been here before when losing a star asset in the drama of the summer transfer window.
Indeed, the summer of 2023 saw Declan Rice heartbreakingly leave behind his boyhood Hammers for Arsenal, with the only bonus being that £105m hit the Irons' bank account to soften the immediate blow.
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West Ham's Lucas Paqueta celebrates his goal against Wolves in the Carabao Cup.
At least the Premier League side had sufficient time to adjust to their Rice-less reality, with Lucas Paqueta's exit from the club, perhaps going right down to the wire of deadline day, instead, amid interest in his services from Aston Villa.
Graham Potter's men will surely have last-minute replacements up their sleeve in case their much-talked-about midfielder does depart, with the low-morale Hammers entering into a last-ditch race for this £34m gem, as per reports.
West Ham enter late race for £34m star
The latest on Paqueta's short-term Hammers future seems to change by the minute.
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He was reportedly in line to make a £47m move to Unai Emery's Villans, but now, according to journalist Jacob Steinberg, he should be staying put, unless a drastic exit takes place imminently.
That was seemingly rubberstamped by the Brazilian's goal celebration during the Hammers' 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Still, after the pretty bleak start to the season experienced by those at the London Stadium, additions to the midfield ranks could be prioritised.
Indeed, as per Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the already relegation-threatened Hammers have entered the late race to secure the services of Arsenal reserve midfielder Fabio Vieira.
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Plettenberg states that a departure is planned before deadline day for Vieira to exit the Emirates, with the previous £34m buy for the Gunners also attracting interest from Stuttgart.
How Vieira can be Fornals 2.0
Potter and Co. might well view the Portuguese attacking midfielder as a suitable replacement for Paqueta if the Brazilian does up and leave dramatically, with West Ham also winning their next Pablo Fornals potentially by snapping up the versatile 25-year-old.
Before heading back to his native Spain with Real Betis, Fornals was a firm fan favourite plying his trade in East London.
The six-time Spain international would tally up an impressive haul of 23 goals and 19 assists across a mammoth 203 appearances for the club, with pundit Noel Whelan even going as far as to herald the 29-year-old as an "unsung hero" when he was still pulling on claret and blue.
Vieira will hope he can be seen in a similarly glowing light if he leaves North London behind shortly, having shone in flashes for Mikel Arteta's men, when not consistently stuck on the periphery.
After all, despite making just 49 appearances for Arsenal since his £34m switch from FC Porto, the attacking midfielder has gone on to collect a respectable three goals and ten assists.
With a sublime 15 goals and 24 assists under his belt in Portugal, too, he really could come into his own as an adaptable, Fornals-like presence if Potter and Co. come calling.
Vieira's career numbers
Position
AM
CM
RW
RM
SS
LW
LM
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Across his up-and-down playing days in Portugal and England, Vieira has at least managed to stand out as a flexible presence, with seven different positions on the pitch being filled by the diminutive 5-foot-7 attacker across 165 clashes above. To add context, Fornals would line up in the same number of different positions for West Ham during his celebrated stay.
While he hasn't always been front and centre of Arteta's plans, the 25-year-old playmaker will pray he can get back to his "special" best at the London Stadium, as he was once labelled by writer Hayley McGoldrick, having also been dubbed a "smooth operator" previously by journalist Tom Kundert. That smooth presence could certainly also be applied to Fornals.
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If he can star in East London away from the stifling environment of North London, he could also fill a Paqueta-shaped hole down the line, with the Brazilian also being showered with high praise, having been branded "mercurial" for the Hammers by ex-London Stadium coach Mark Warburton.
Even if he does stay, West Ham needs some boosts to lift the dire mood, with Vieira arriving just in the nick of time perhaps having that desired effect.