‘Had some conversations’: Chelsea player says he told Blues board to sign ‘extraordinary’ West Ham 25-year-old

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea central defender Thiago Silva said he told his club’s board to look into signing Lucas Paqueta before he joined West Ham.

Silva and Paqueta are international teammates for Brazil who will be on opposite sides during today’s London derby at Stamford Bridge.

Paqueta has become West Ham’s record signing during the transfer window, and Silva clearly thinks he is good enough to play for Chelsea.

After protracted negotiations, he came in from Lyon and may well make his first Hammers start this afternoon.

Silva wanted Paqueta at Chelsea

He said: “I heard he was about to leave Lyon [so I] had some conversations here with some people, but unfortunately things didn’t work out.

“We weren’t 100 per cent sure he would leave Lyon. The last week arrived, this thing got a lot [clearer] and we had some other priorities because of the injuries we have in the team.

“So we needed a striker, another defender. A midfielder, was a little less. I think that’s why things didn’t evolve well.

“But I’m happy for Paqueta because West Ham certainly have a very good structure, it’s a great club in the Premier League scene.

“I just hope he can be sad on Saturday. After that he can stay happy and get to the World Cup the way he knows, the way he’s been doing, which is playing good football.”

Paqueta has been hailed as ‘extraordinary‘ and none other than Thierry Henry has declared himself a fan of the midfielder.

He has the quality to take the Premier League by storm, it is just about adapting without a pre-season with his new teammates.

A goal in the London derby today would go a long way towards impressing the 25-year-old’s new fans, and it would only make Silva even more rueful that Chelsea did not get him.