West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has won possession for his side more times than any other player in Europe’s top seven leagues so far this season.
The Brazilian has been in excellent form for the Hammers since the start of the new campaign, scoring against Chelsea and assisting Jarrod Bowen’s opener against Luton Town last time out.
According to data from Squawka, the Brazilian has also won possession 43 times across those four matches, putting him ahead of every player from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Primeira Liga and Eredivisie.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte is second in the list with 41 ball wins, while the top five is completed by Feyenood’s Mats Wieffer (39), FA Famalicao’s Zaydou Youssouf (38) and Monaco’s Vanderson (38). The only other Premier League player within the top ten is Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, who has won possession 37 times.
With Pacqueta’s current form helping West Ham sit fourth in the Premier League table it’s no wonder that reigning champions Manchester City were keen to add him to their ranks over the summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly had a deal of £80million agreed with the Hammers for Pacqueta before it was called off amid the FA’s investigation into the midfielder over alleged betting breaches.
READ MORE: How to order your West Ham 'Hammers in Europe' souvenir special ahead of Europa League campaign
Despite that, West Ham boss David Moyes has been thrilled with how Paqueta has focused on his football rather than the noise surrounding him, with his performance in the 3-1 home win over Chelsea in August drawing plenty of praise from the Scot even in light of the FA’s investigation.
“I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him because he played as well as anybody,” said Moyes. “They were all cheering him because of his ability, he’s a really, really good player.
“He showed character, never hid away from the ball and his performance was very good, especially in the second half. I thought he did brilliantly well today. I’m only interested in how he performed today. There was never any doubt about picking him. He’s a solid and tough character so no problems.”
Pacqueta is no doubt going to be a vital player for West Ham in the coming months as they look to keep up their early momentum against tough opposition.
This Saturday they host City at the London Stadium before returning to their home ground again next Thursday for their first Europa League match against Backa Topola followed by a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool four days later.
