Lucas Paquetá has revealed how the betting scandal at West Ham United ruined his dream transfer to Manchester City.

The midfielder is currently playing for Flamengo in his native Brazil after moving there in a €42m move from West Ham in the January transfer window.

That move was very much an attempt to put the betting scandal that ruined his time in England over the last few years.

Paquetá was accused of deliberately forcing referees to show him yellow cards in four specific matches across 2022 and 2023 to manipulate the betting market for others to profit.

The case ran for years but he was ultimately cleared of all major spot-fixing and betting misconduct charges by an Independent Regulatory Commission. But the damage was already done by that point.

Manchester City dream

He left West Ham not long after being found not guilty. But also, the accusations and public fallout also cost him a move to Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s side had been advancing in a potential £80m move for the Brazilian midfielder in August 2023.

Indeed, reports indicated that it was effectively agreed upon in principle. It was on the verge of completion before the betting allegations surfaced.

Manchester City first put the deal on hold before then pulling out of negotiations entirely.

That’s something Paquetá cannot get over, even three years later. He recently appeared on TikTok, where he answered questions about the affair.

Regrets

Omatogrossense report that the midfielder stated he did not regret his choice, but acknowledge the investigation ruined his plans.

“I didn’t end up going to City because of the investigation I went through, you, see?” he declared.

During the conversation, a participant mentioned clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​asking if the Brazilian truly desired to play in Manchester.

“No, it was City—it was City. I’ve always really liked City,” the midfielder replied. He then added that the length of the case against him meant that, by the time he was cleared, a deal was no longer possible as he was in a different stage of his career.

As a result, the possibility of playing for Manchester City was not longer part of his immediate plans.

Now, years later, Paquetá can only sit and wonder what might have been. Not only was his time at West Ham ruined, but his dream transfer was also stolen from him. It’s fair to say his anger and disappointment may be justified.