West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has confirmed that attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet no longer wants to represent the club.
According to the BBC, Slaven Bilic has stated that West Ham star Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the club. However, the Hammers boss insisted the club will not be looking to selling the player despite him expressing his desire to leave.
“We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us. We are not going to sell him,” Bilic said.
Daily Mail’s Kieran Gill gathered further information from the Croatian, who stated that the club is disappointed with the player’s decision to refuse playing for the London outfit.
“This team, the staff, we gave him everything, we were always there for him. I feel let down. I feel angry,” added the Hammers boss.
This news will have certainly sent shock waves around the footballing world as it appeared that Payet was happy with life at the Olympic Stadium. The 29-year-old has arguably been West Ham’s best player since the start of last season and could now be a huge loss for the club as he is unlikely to feature for the foreseeable future.
The Frenchman moved from Marseille to West Ham at the start of the 2015/16 season campaign for £10.7 million. He quickly adapted to life in England’s top flight as he bagged 9 goals and 12 assists in his first season in the Premier League and was nominated in PFA’s Team of the Year.
His stellar performances with the Hammers saw him get his first international call-up in March 2016 along with the then Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante. A few months later, the duo were on the plane with the French squad to take part in the European Championships.
Payet embraced his first international competition with open arms as he ended Euro 2016 as one of France’s best players – scoring three goals and assisting another two. WhoScored graded him as the competition’s third highest player (7.9), with only Kevin de Bruyne (8.0) and Gareth Bale (8.2) rated higher than the West Ham star.
With fine showings for both club and country, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the top European sides showed an interest in securing his services. Premier League duo Manchester United and Arsenal along with 2015/16 Champions League winners Real Madrid were among the front-runners to sign the dynamic French attacker.
Dimitri Payet has created 189 chances in the league since joining West Ham in 2015; more than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues. pic.twitter.com/CvHs73fGOz
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 12, 2017
Due to the uncertainty looming over the future of Mesut Ozil, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could see Payet as a like-for-like replacement for the German. While the Frenchman may not be as creative as the 28-year-old, he tends to possess a considerably higher attacking threat than him.
With the player hinting that he would not turn down a move to the Emirates, it remains to be seen whether Wenger will go in with a bid for him come the end of the season, as the player is not expected to leave in January.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, has an embarrassment of riches in attacking midfield, and is unlikely to step in with a bid for the Frenchman. At 29 years of age, Payet may not have too many good seasons left in him, and may not be worth the ordeal for the former Chelsea boss.
At Real Madrid, Payet will find it extremely hard to break into the starting eleven and may not even consider moving to the Santiago Bernabeu. His former side Marseille, have also emerged as keen suitors, and the 29-year-old may fancy a reunion with his old peers as his days at West Ham look to be numbered.
