"Freed from desire": Lucas Paqueta cleared of all spot fixing charges
- Anweshan Ghosh
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
West Ham have received a massive boost before the start of the 2025/26 season after star midfielder Lucas Paqueta was cleared of all his spot-fixing charges after almost two years of investigation and court trials.
The FA had alleged that the Brazilian international had been deliberately getting yellow cards to affect the betting market and was facing a lifetime ban from football if found guilty.
However, in an absolute delight for the 27-year-old, the regulatory commission announced that all the charges against him have “no evidence” and remain “not proven”, following the final court hearing.
The former Milan and Lyon midfielder was also accused of failing to provide sufficient documents and information to the FA during the ongoing investigation. However, for this case, he has been found guilty and will be sanctioned to pay a fine.
In an interview after the verdict was announced, Paqueta expressed his delight while pleading his innocence again. According to BBC Sport, he said, "Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations.” (sic)
He further added, "I can't say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.” (sic)
Manchester City to reinstate their interest in Paqueta following his innocent verdict?
Manchester City were close to signing Lucas Paqueta for £85 million in the summer of 2023 but had backed out following the betting charges that were imposed on the Brazilian midfielder.
However, as per reports by Globo Esporte, Pep Guardiola and co. have reinstated their interest in the 27-year-old, and now that the charges against him have been dropped, they could consider making a move for him once again.
West Ham are open to selling Paqueta and cashing in on the player this summer in order to reinvest his sale amount in rebuilding their squad. On the other, Guardiola needs a creative influx in the team and therefore won't mind adding a player of Paqueta's quality, who even brings Premier League experience and the ability to deliver from set pieces as well.
Paqueta could come in as a replacement for City's legendary midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who departed the club earlier this summer to join Napoli, leaving behind a massive void in the creative department for Guardiola and co. to fill.
As per our sources, the Hammers are asking around £50-60m for their star playmaker, which is within Manchester City's remaining transfer budget for the summer, after having already spent £151 million on 6 signings so far.
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