West Ham United spent big in the summer, with David Moyes backed to be the man to continue the progression he had already made with this Hammers side.
The Scotsman would unload £157m on eight new faces, with the crowning jewel being their acquisition of Lucas Paqueta.
Brought in on a club-record £51m deal, there was a belief that the Brazilian could add that touch of class and creativity just in front of the midfield two to unlock the Irons’ attacking potential.
However, with 14 games under his belt for the east London outfit, the 25-year-old is yet to score and has just three assists.
It seems he is yet to recapture the form that saw him score 11 and assist seven the season prior for Lyon.
Despite this apparent poor form, he still retained his place in the Brazil squad for the World Cup.
Aside from the Cameroon loss, he has actually featured in all of their matches so far, earning his position alongside Casemiro in central midfield.
Perhaps Moyes could look to employ Paqueta in that position alongside Declan Rice when this tournament culminates, especially after if his display against South Korea is anything to go by.
Earning a 7.7 rating, he was actually the second-highest-rated player of anyone on the pitch.
His statistics help paint the picture of why, as he was a creative threat from deep throughout and even scored one himself.
Arriving late into the box, Vinicius Junior chipped the ball to the onrushing maestro who volleyed across goal to cap off a fine win. He would also record three key passes alongside a 90% pass accuracy, and was happy to muck in with two tackles too, via Sofascore.
This match stood as proof that even from further back in the pitch he could be the “warrior and a wizard” he was dubbed by Squawka.
Moyes will surely be watching, and with this string of performances thinking that maybe he has got it wrong with the first half of the season.
Perhaps January could see him dip back into the transfer window for a true no.10, and allow Paqueta to flourish in a role where he has starred in Qatar.