Jermaine Jenas has now criticised Manchester City target Lucas Paqueta for his performance against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The 40-year-old made the comments when speaking on BBC Match of the Day 2.
So, what did Jermaine Jenas say about Manchester City target Lucas Paqueta? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well – according to Football Transfers – Manchester City retain an interest in the Brazil international after failing with a bid for his services over the summer.
A story from The Sun (print version) adds that Paqueta himself is dreaming of a move to the Etihad Stadium in 2024 – it is also said that an £85m release clause will become active in 2024.
However, the West Ham No.10 cannot perform like he did in Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa if he wants Pep Guardiola to sign him up.
Speaking about Paqueta’s display, Jenas said: “Paqueta here, I mean what a player he is and he’s been brilliant for West Ham, but you can’t do this. For me, he just strolled around today. He looked like he was in one of those moods where, if you get me the ball, I might do something special.
“If not, you get that side of me. I just thought from a West Ham point of view they’d kind of got past these moments, but it was a worrying sign.”
How Manchester City target Lucas Paqueta performed on Sunday
Sunday’s clash at Villa Park did not see the best version of Paqueta, although he still performed well in possession despite a lack of effort off the ball.
As WhoScored shows, the 26-year-old completed three successful dribbles and also made one key pass, while winning two freekicks for West Ham.
No West Ham player really delivered on Sunday, and a lack of overall cohesion made it difficult for Paqueta to get involved.
However, David Moyes, nor Guardiola, will accept a lack of effort from anyone, so that occasional stroppy side to his game must be removed if the South American wants to make a step up in 2024.
