KIERAN GILL: West Ham will continue to stick by Lucas Paqueta as the FA's slow and secretive probe rumbles on... losing their £52m Brazilian Magnifico to a ban or rival club would be a major blow, but all the Irons can do is wait

As painstakingly secretive as it is painfully slow, the Football Association’s betting probe into Lucas Paqueta is still ongoing, with it now three months since Mail Sport broke the news that West Ham's Brazilian Magnifico was being scrutinised by investigators.

They interviewed him in September. They examined his mobile phone in October. Now into November, the FA are offering no indication of when we can expect an outcome – good or bad – from their inquest into the winning yellow card wagers which triggered suspicions.

Sources say the Brazilian Football Confederation are frustrated with the speed of the investigation into a player who has long proclaimed his innocence. Their request for an update ahead of Fernando Diniz’s latest squad announcement was unsatisfactory, the lack of progress making them feel as if they had to uphold their promise not to use him until this messy situation is resolved.

Diniz last week described Paqueta as ‘one of the best of his generation’, adding he can only hope they have an answer by the next international break when they face England at Wembley Stadium in March.

Confidence is growing in Brazil that investigators are struggling to link anything incriminating to the 26-year-old, whose flair and freedom for West Ham has dazzled the Premier League this season, though there will be no celebrations until the verdict is in.

There are worse places to be in exile than Marbella, though that is where Paqueta has been holidaying with his family. Yet the Brazilian may have found his mind wandering to Rio de Janeiro, and not only because he was seen wearing the shorts of the national team while exercising in the hotel gym.

Rio is where he would otherwise have been this week. Brazil are set to face Argentina at the Estadio do Maracana without him, their sixth 2026 World Cup qualifier played in his absence amid this probe. Paqueta will watch from afar as Bruno Guimaraes and the Premier League’s other representatives line up in yellow instead.

Unlike Diniz, West Ham manager David Moyes has no qualms about continuing to play Paqueta, having chosen to stand by his player from the start. Club insiders say they have been impressed by his daily output, not least the influence he is having in the big games.

Before facing Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, Paqueta texted his wife, Duda: ‘Vou fazer gol pra voce hoje.’ Translated to: ‘I’m going to score for you today.’ He did, following up on his Europa League winner against Olympiacos three days earlier.

Helped to West Ham as a £51million signing from Lyon in August 2022 by the agent acting on behalf of the club, Barry Silkman, staff have now gotten to know the person as well as the player. They describe Paqueta as a family man and religious, with he and his wife recently revealing matching ‘one flesh’ tattoos from Genesis 2:24.

At the start of this season, Paqueta’s head was naturally turned by a proposed move to Manchester City. Sources say Moyes promised the player he would not stand in his way, asking him only to do his best in the season opener at Bournemouth in the meantime. The yellow card received by Paqueta in that 1-1 draw is among the cautions that sparked the FA’s investigation which scuppered that tantalising transfer.

West Ham realise they will be tested for their prized playmaker eventually, especially if this probe is no longer hanging over him. Whether it will be concluded by January, the FA are refusing to say, though Mail Sport revealed previously that Paqueta’s contract contains an £85m release clause which comes into play next summer.

It is a measure of the player's popularity that Hobbs Memorabilia have seen a remarkable response since announcing their upcoming signing session on December 5 with one of football’s mavericks.

It is not cheap – prices for signed shirts range from £199.99 to £650.99, complete with photographic proof and certificate of authenticity – but there have been willing buyers seizing the opportunity to own the autograph of the man who assisted Jarrod Bowen's winner in the 2023 Europa Conference League final in Prague.

Losing Paqueta to a rival or a ban would be a blow for West Ham. Three months later, all they can do is wait for word from the FA.