On the final day of the 2023 summer transfer window, Manchester City completed a £53m deal to sign Matheus Nunes from Wolves after prior moves for Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic.
Nunes has made 20 appearances for City so far across all competitions, starting five Premier League matches as well as four of his side’s seven Champions League games to date.
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City have already failed to land the player once and they’re determined not to do so again.
Pep Guardiola turned his attention to Nunes after City were forced to walk away from a deal for West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta when they learned that he was under investigation for allegedly breaching FA betting rules, which he denies.
City had agreed an £80m deal for Paqueta in principle, but while they had to pull the plug on a summer transfer, sources close to the situation remained optimistic that a move could still happen in the future.
City ready to come back to the table for Paqueta
Now, according to Football Insider, City are eyeing up Paqueta again ahead of the summer transfer window. Guardiola’s side have remained keen on the Brazilian, and could re-open negotiations over a transfer.
Significantly, West Ham are said to be willing to accept an offer for Paqueta that meets their price tag as they wait to discover the outcome of the aforementioned investigation, which is now close to being completed.
Paqueta is a game-changer for West Ham
Former Lyon man Paqueta has been out of action since the end of last year with a calf injury, and in that time, West Ham’s fortunes have nosedived. They haven’t won any of their seven matches across all competitions, losing to Championship Bristol City in the FA Cup and only picking up a point away to a Sheffeld United side that looks destined to be relegated. The Hammers shipped six goals in an embarrassing home defeat to Arsenal at the weekend, and have only scored four themselves over the last seven.
West Ham rank | ||
|---|---|---|
Assists | 5 | 2nd |
Key passes per game | 1.4 | 2nd |
Successful dribbles per game | 1.6 | 2nd |
Tackles per game | 2.4 | 3rd |
Fouls drawn per game | 2.3 | 1st |
1.83 | 1st* Minimum 10 apps |
Irons fans’ worst fears about the impact of his absence have been realised. The stats show that Paqueta is a vital figure for David Moyes’ side, leading the way for points per game and also ranking in the top three for assists, key passes, successful dribbles and tackles.
It’s no surprise that Guardiola is still keen on this all-round midfield maestro, but City will of course have to wait to see whether Paqueta is banned before they proceed. While the cases of Sandro Tonali and Ivan Toney were different, their combined 18-month suspension shows how seriously football’s governing bodies are taking this issue. Any significant spell on the sidelines will surely see City move on for good.
