Selling the sides’ best player in the middle of a relegation battle was hardly going to prove popular amongst West Ham fans. However the Brazilian’s departure has come and gone and life continues as West Ham -amidst their mini revival – seek to continue on their run of wins which began with [Lucas Paquetá’s](https://www.claretandhugh.info/why-lucas-paqueta-left-west-ham-a-story-bigger-than-football/) absence from the side.
Revelations today make it clear that the ending could have been much, much worse for supporters. Paquetá himself admitted during his PR duties for his new club that –
He could have ended up playing for either one of West Ham’ s ‘least favourite’ London neighbours.
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According to the [dailymail.co.uk:](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-15515129/Lucas-Paqueta-snubbed-TWO-Premier-League-sides-return-Flamengo-West-Ham-emotional-return-boyhood-club.html)
_“Such was Paqueta’s desire to rejoin his boyhood club that he claims he brushed aside the advances for two Premier League big beasts, telling Flamengo TV on Thursday: ‘Tottenham called, Chelsea called, and the funny thing is that Tata (his agent) called all excited and said: “Chelsea’s calling, they’re gonna make an offer.”_
_‘I replied: “Okay, but what about Flamengo?” He said: “Are you serious?”_
Which must have gone down like a bucket of cold sick in West Ham’s boardroom.
If Paqueta had dropped his insistence on ‘heading home’ and stayed in the Premier League, fans would have had to endure further agony similar to the _‘Kudus to Spurs’_ transfer.
_However both Spurs and Chelsea would have been able to pay significantly higher than the £35 million+ which Flamengo forked out._
Sullivan may be the loser and left with a bad tase considering Chelski or Tottenham could have easily forked out another £10 million – but in this instance, Hammers fans can think themselves ‘fortunate’ that Paqueta is now-finally – out of sight and out of mind.