The former West Ham and Newcastle coach compares the “responsibility” of Lucas Paquetá with the cult hero of the Premier League

Lucas Paquetá can be a liability for West Ham and his weakness in midfield is similar to that of another Premier League cult hero.

That is the opinion of the former Hammers and the Newcastle boss Alan Pardewwho has highlighted a major area of ​​concern for the east side of London.

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package He is one of West Ham's most talented players and has attracted interest from Manchester City, but he has endured a difficult season so far.

The Brazilian has scored just two goals in 15 appearances and was one of the players who struggled in the 5-2 defeat to Arsenal.

Speaking on The Final Word, talkSPORT's Adrian Durham asked whether Paqueta should be removed because “sometimes it's like playing with ten men”.

Pardew later compared it to Hatem Ben Arfawho was arguably their most talented player at Newcastle, but still had one glaring flaw in his game.

“He's a player who… I had Ben Arfa at Newcastle who could do things with the ball that, you know, were top-notch, he was incredibly talented,” he said.

“He literally had no defensive qualities, he didn't want to defend, he couldn't defend, even when he did he made fouls and caused a problem. And in fact, the players on the team wanted him off the team more than me, it was almost as if he was costing

“He couldn't see that, of course, and he got upset and we had some problems with him, etcetera, etcetera, because he was frustrated. But, as much as we tried to instill that in him, some players, it just doesn't come in, that defensive angle of the game .

“Some don't want to, to be fair to Ben Arfa, he tried in the games, and I think Paquetá is in that framework, he is almost like a burden at times when you don't have the ball, but he has incredible quality.” “.

Ben Arfa possessed excellent dribbling skills, pace and style during his time at Newcastle, making 82 appearances when Pardew was in charge for four years from 2010.

He scored 13 goals and 16 assists under his direction to become a big fan favorite, although it's clear his defense needed work.

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While Paqueta may be similar to Ben Arfa and has not reached the heights he reached in past seasons with West Ham, Pardew believes they have a more pressing matter.

The 63-year-old, who managed the Hammers from 2003 to 2006, said: “If I was at West Ham I would play against him, but I would certainly look at my back four and look for a bit more pace and a bit more little more organization.

“Because if you ask me what their problem is, it's defending. I can't see them at the moment, sometimes they seem very open, particularly when I think they are at home.

“They seem lazy, getting the ball out for the opposition is too easy and when you are at home, you can't allow the opposition to attack you, and Arsenal did that too often yesterday.”

West Ham have conceded 24 goals in 13 Premier League games this season and have won just three of their last eight.

Their defensive weaknesses were made clear against Arsenal as all five goals they conceded came before half-time to ensure salvaging a point became a mammoth task.

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Despite a summer spend of around £120m, boss Julen Lopetegui has yet to get a tune out of his side.

West Ham are six points from the bottom three, but already eight points from the European qualification places.

Lopetegui is under pressure to turn around their season ahead of a busy festive schedule that will see them play six times in December.

However, talkSPORT has reported that West Ham have sounded out former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic as a potential replacement.