Why would Man City want to sign Lucas Paqueta?

A rare penalty shootout victory for Manchester City sealed UEFA Super Cup glory in Greece on Wednesday night.

After claiming a historic treble in 2022/23, Pep Guardiola will expect his players to go again this season as they attempt to become the first English side ever to win four-straight league titles.

While City have made winning look so effortless in recent years, there’s no doubt that 2023/24 will be almightily tough, and losing Kevin De Bruyne for an extensive period certainly isn’t ideal. The club’s relatively thin squad means additions are necessary before the end of the summer transfer window, and one name they’ve been strongly linked with is West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

Here’s why Guardiola is keen on signing the Brazilian.

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Ilkay Gundogan’s departure to Barcelona was a massive blow given the German’s significance to their title win, and although City attempted to soften the blow by signing Mateo Kovacic in a cut-price deal, he’s not an out-and-out replacement for Gundogan.

In truth, City are going to find it hard to directly replace their former skipper, although Paqueta can provide some of Gundogan’s qualities.

The Brazilian has proven himself to be incredibly versatile from a stylistic perspective since arriving in Europe. Many regarded Paqueta to be a typical Brazilian playmaker when he first rocked up at Milan, but his adventures since have shown there are more strings to his bow. During his first season at West Ham, David Moyes occasionally used Paqueta in the double pivot and his defensive numbers highlight his contribution without the ball.

Compared to midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, Paqueta ranks in the top 8% for tackles per 90 (3.17) and passes blocked per 90 (1.51) and tackles in the attacking third per 90 (0.46). Not only is he a rather astute blocker of space, but he’s a willing presser who supplies plenty of energy out of possession.

This contribution, however, is merely a bonus. Paqueta is highly regarded by City because of what he can do with the ball. While his role at West Ham and Moyes’ system perhaps stifled his playmaking capacity somewhat, Paqueta offered glimpses of what he’s capable of from a creative perspective. Just look at his assist for Jarrod Bowen in the Europa Conference League final.

Once the Brazilian found his feet in east London, Hammers supporters saw him flourish and he ended his debut Premier League season with four goals and three assists. If he was to join City, Guardiola could either deploy Paqueta in a deeper position alongside Rodri in a 4-2-4, or he could play off the shoulder of Erling Haaland in a similar vein to De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez.

City were interested in Paqueta before they found out they’d be without De Bruyne for several months, although the Belgian’s diagnosis has hastened the club’s pursuit.

West Ham don’t want to lose the Brazilian and it will take a mammoth fee for the Cityzens to prise him away from east London. The Hammers paid £51m for Paqueta last summer, and have already rejected a £70m verbal offer from City.

90min understands that a second offer will be lodged in the coming days. West Ham’s asking price is believed to be around £85m.