Potter ‘saw a committed performance’ from Paqueta in West Ham win amid doubts over future | OneFootball

West Ham head coach Graham Potter praised the performance of Lucas Paqueta amid speculation over his future as he scored in the Hammers’ 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Winless in all competitions this campaign, West Ham and Potter came into this match under pressure to get a result, and that is exactly what they did, as they scored three times in the final ten minutes thanks to goals from Jarrod Bowen, Paqueta and Callum Wilson to see off their hosts.

Paqueta, who is of heavy interest from Aston Villa, tucked away West Ham’s second from the penalty spot 88 minutes in and celebrated by throwing a pretend phone away and kissing the Hammers badge. Potter was not too worried of the speculation surrounding the Brazilian’s future, praising him for a positive performance.

“It’s part of the job; it’s part of the world we’re in,” Potter said. “There’s noise, there’s always speculation, but I think you saw a committed performance from a player that cares about the team, cares about his teammates, cares about the club.

“He’s delighted to get three points, and I’m delighted for him because he contributes to the win and scores an important goal. That second goal is important; it is a pressure penalty. I think if you miss that, the environment changes.”

Potter has been under the spotlight from minute one of this Premier League season, which has not been helped with three consecutive defeats in all competitions, but the former Chelsea and Brighton boss was delighted for his side after a trying start to the campaign.

“It’s very easy to be negative and lose trust and lose confidence, which is the world we’re in,” he said. “But I think you saw a committed team, a team with quality, and a team together. In that respect, I’m really happy for them because they’ve been hurting, as we all have.”