Tottenham Hotspur were unable to land Lucas Paqueta in the summer
Tottenham Hotspur had quite a busy last stretch of the recently-closed summer transfer window. The North London side tried to bring in several new players in this phase, and was actually able to strengthen their team with new acquisitions, like those of Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani.
Meanwhile, they also missed out on the multiple other players that they were linked with, with the most stinging miss being that of the Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze, who ultimately joined Spurs’ bitter local rivals Arsenal.
Another player from a London club that Tottenham were looking to land during that time was Lucas Paqueta from West Ham United, the team that Spurs would be facing as they return from the current international break this weekend.
David Sullivan remained a barrier to the Brazilian’s transfer
Ahead of this exciting game, a report from TeamTalk has revealed what actually went behind the scenes that kept Tottenham, and Aston Villa, who were also interested in the midfielder’s signing, from getting the Brazilian.
The report claims that Thomas Frank was particularly keen to have him in his team, as he would have brought a lot of guile and authority to the midfield. However, it was the West Ham United owner David Sullivan, who was quite unsettled with the thought of losing such an important player, who stuck to his guns to keep hold of the midfielder, making it impossible for Spurs or Villa to get him.
Sullivan’s resolve was further strengthened when the Hammers had a far from perfect start to the season. Ultimately, it was clear that Paqueta would not be changing clubs as he heartily celebrated his goal against Nottingham Forest right before the international break.
There is no doubt that Lucas Paqueta would have been a very good addition to the Tottenham team that was still looking for a replacement of the injured James Maddison. However, they were ultimately able to land Xavi Simons, who undoubtedly is another highly promising signing, and could turn out to be the difference-maker for Thomas Frank’s side this season.
For now, Spurs would be looking for a way to contain Lucas Paqueta, as they face West Ham United this weekend.
