Why Chelsea should thank Lucas Paqueta for Cole Palmer

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 4 May 2024 14:47 BST
• 3 min read

West Ham shelved plans to sign Cole Palmer last summer, leading to Chelsea clinching the youngster's signature.

The Blues attacker is top of the Premier League goal-scoring charts at the time of writing, following his switch to Stamford Bridge.

He has been in unprecedented form and Chelsea's best player this term by some distance.

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But it almost didn't work out like that, Hammers boss David Moyes has revealed.

The West Ham head coach - who is likely to depart the London Stadium at the end of the season - has claimed that his side were hopeful of securing Palmer from Manchester City, before looking at alternatives.

“[We were] close, close,” Moyes said. “You can probably imagine the other part of it, where there was a possibility of somebody leaving here which might have made that work.

“I was in regular contact with his agent and we were well on the road with it but it just changed at the end and we couldn’t do it.”

West Ham signed Lucas Paqueta instead from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon. The Brazil international was heavily linked to Newcastle but ended up signing with the Irons.

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What did Lucas Paqueta say about his future?

Paqueta recently said that he is happy at West Ham despite further links to Man City. It's been widely reported that he is on Pep Guardiola's list of targets, but he has gone on record to say he's content with remaining in London.

“I have to do my work here at West Ham," he told ESPN.

"I have an enormous respect for the club. I’m very happy here, and if I don’t say that, I’d be lying."

"Of course there are a lot of things happening off the pitch but I am focused on doing my best and end the season on a high. I started well and intend on finishing [the season] well.

“What has been said about Manchester City is all stuff from the previous transfer window. Now it’s about finishing the season and to wait and see what will happen.”