The Brazilian’s departure was unavoidable given his painful relationship with English football’s governing body
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has completed a move back to his native country Brazil, joining in a €42m deal.
Flamengo had three bids rejected before reaching an agreement with West Ham. The East London club are in a relegation battle and ideally would have loved to keep one of their best players. They tried everything to keep him but Paqueta was desperate to leave England and pushing strongly for the move.
The 28-year-old grew disillusioned with life as a Premier League player after being accused by the FA of match-fixing in a case that ran for two years. He was cleared of the charges in July 2025.
The FA were later criticised for their handling of the case, with an independent commission describing it as “flawed”.
Tensions rose again after West Ham’s game against Liverpool in November, in which he had got sent off with two yellow cards for dissent in quick succession. Paqueta later tore into the FA in a post on social media.
“It’s ridiculous to have your life and career affected for two years without any psychological support from the federation,” the Brazilian said.
“Perhaps this ridiculous behaviour is just a reflection of everything I’ve had to endure and, it seems, have to continue enduring! I’m sorry I’m not perfect.
“I understand that now I have to look like the villain; it’s difficult to live with everything that has been caused in my life and in my mental health! I will continue trying to prevent them from affecting me even more.”
After confirming his transfer this week, West Ham said: “Lucas has made it clear that, for personal and family reasons, he wishes to return home to Brazil and make a fresh start after being cleared in July 2025 of FA misconduct charges that took two years to be resolved – a situation that caused him significant mental strain.
“Despite the club doing everything possible to persuade Lucas to stay, he has remained adamant that his wish is to leave. Therefore, the head coach and the club have reluctantly agreed to accept his transfer request.”
