West Ham: £150k-a-week star 'best player on the pitch' at London Stadium | OneFootball

West Ham United star Lucas Paquetá is the Hammers' "best player" when they play to his strengths, claims journalist Dean Jones.

The attacking midfielder joined David Moyes' side for big money and has perhaps not lived up to his price tag yet, but Jones is still expecting him to be a success at the London Stadium.

Despite having only signed for West Ham in a £51m deal last summer, as reported by Sky Sports, Paquetá is already being linked with a move away from the east London club.

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One outlet from Spain has claimed that both Arsenal and Newcastle United are willing to spend €70m (around £62m) on the Brazilian.

Given that Paquetá has just joined West Ham and the fact that he hasn't been at his best, though, it would be shock if a club like Arsenal went out and spent that sort of money on him.

As per Transfermarkt, the former Lyon man had scored just two goals in 25 appearances this season before his side's Europa Conference League game against AEK Larnaca.

What has Dean Jones said about Lucas Paquetá and West Ham?

While Paquetá is yet to hit top form at the London Stadium, Jones thinks he's still shown that he has the most ability in West Ham's squad.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "I'm really confident that Paquetá will be a success at West Ham. Whenever West Ham play to his strengths, he's actually the best player on the pitch, but you don't see that regularly because the team aren't playing well consistently."

Should West Ham sell Lucas Paquetá?

It remains to be seen whether the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle are actually seriously interested in Paquetá, but if they are, West Ham should tell them to go and look at other options.

The attacker, who's a Brazil international, has a lot of talent. He probably just needs a bit more time to adapt and for the team to improve as a whole so he can show it on a consistent basis.

"He never panics with the ball and his technique, his skills are unreal," Vladimír Coufal told West Ham's official website last month when discussing his team-mate.

Does Paquetá, who is earning £150,000 a week at the London Stadium, according to Spotrac, need to offer more than a few skills? Yes, but again, he perhaps just needs the opportunity to acclimatise further to English football. Next season, maybe the Hammers will get to see a more potent and consistent Paquetá.