West Ham announced Monday that they had acquired Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta from French club Lyon for a “club-record” sum.
The Hammers didn’t say how much they paid for Paqueta, but they did say he signed a five-year deal at the London Stadium with an additional year of options.
Having scored just once in their first four Premier League games (Pablo Fornals scored the game-winning goal on Sunday’s 1-0 triumph at Aston Villa), Paqueta’s arrival should improve West Ham manager David Moyes’s attacking options.
I’m thrilled to finally be here. I’m hoping this is the start of an exciting adventure. Paqueta, 25 said, “I hope my time here is successful.” on West Ham’s website.
West Ham had a great year last year, and I expect nothing less from them during my time here.
Paqueta began his professional career at Flamengo, but in 2019 he made the move to Europe to join AC Milan.
After two years in Italy’s Serie A with the Rossoneri, in which he scored just once in 37 league appearances, he moved to Lyon, where he became a regular for the Brazil national team and scored 21 goals in 80 games overall.
“I am very happy to have Lucas join West Ham,” Moyes added.
I’ve respected him for a long time as a player, and we finally got to see him up close and personal during our Europa League run last year.
Although he will require some time to adjust to life in the Premier League, we are thrilled to have signed another accomplished international player.