West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking has spoken out on the club’s decision to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo – and he hasn’t held his tongue with a message for the board too.
After a long-running saga, West Ham finally announced the reluctant sale of Lucas Paqueta to his boyhood club Flamengo this weekend.
The deal to sell Paqueta to the Brazilian giants is reportedly worth £36.5m and comes with three days remaining of the January transfer window.
The move has been an unwelcome distraction for Nuno Espirito Santo and West Ham as they battle to try and stay in the Premier League.
Paqueta has sullied his name among some Hammers fans by pushing to leave the club when they need him most.
True Hammers legend has his say on Paqueta
Some West Ham fans have argued he will be no great miss having been so inconsistent for the last couple of years, registering a solitary assist in his last 55 Premier League appearances for the east Londoners.
West Ham have won three games on the bounce without Paqueta. But time will tell whether the sale has a detrimental impact on the club’s survival chances.
How will you remember Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
A graphic showing Lucas Paqueta's all-time statistics for West Ham.
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Everything about Paqueta suggests he should be the perfect West Ham player.
And a player Sir Trevor Brooking loves watching too.
Lucas Paqueta celebrates after scoring for West Ham against Nottingham Forest.
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As one of the greatest players in West Ham United’s 130-year history, when Sir Trevor Brooking speaks, anyone connected with the club should listen.
Sir Trev spent his entire career with the Hammers from 1967 to 1984 and was a world renowned creative midfielder famed for his technical ability, vision and intelligence.
Sir Trev made his debut for West Ham in 1967 and quickly established himself as a key player in the team. He was a regular in the side that won the FA Cup in 1975 and again in 1980, scoring in both finals.
Still a regular at West Ham matches, Sir Trev was also a member of the England team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, forging a memorable connection with Kevin Keegan.
Sir Trev labels Paqueta a liability and sends message to West Ham board
Sir Trev was named West Ham’s Hammer of the Year four times and was voted the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 1978.
He is widely regarded as a West Ham legend and a true gentleman of the beautiful game.
If West Ham were to sign Jhon Duran in the summer…
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Jhon Duran after Fenerbahçe SK V Galatasaray SK - Turkish Super Cup Final
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So his opinion, particularly on West Ham matters, carries great weight.
Now Sir Trev hasn’t held back on the Paqueta sale with a message for the West Ham board.
West Ham United v Newcastle United - Premier League
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Speaking at a West Ham legends night reported on by The Athletic, Sir Trev labelled Paqueta a liability.
He says West Ham did well to get the fee they did for the 28-year-old.
And he sent a message to David Sullivan and co that Nuno must be backed to sign as many as two more players with the Paqueta money in order to replace him.
“He’s got a lot of talent, but in every game he gives the opposition a chance to score,” Brooking said.
“And quite often they’ve taken that!
Sir Trev: Nuno must get Paqueta money for new signings
“Now we have a few days to try and get one or two players in with the money we get from selling Paqueta.
“It looks as if we’re going to get about £35million, and that’s a good fee. Now it’s just a matter of who we bring in to replace Paqueta.”
To that end, West Ham have launched a late hijack for a Paqueta replacement and have a clear advantage over a rival Premier League suitor.
Hammers News has revealed that as many as three more could be on the way in at West Ham before the window closes.
And West Ham’s move for an England star is said to have legs by a well-connected journalist.
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