Sick Payet strikes as West Ham wait for Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United to make big offers
Dimitri Payet is refusing to play again for West Ham United, says Hammers’ manager Slaven Bilic. In “You Can’t Go!”, the Mail says West Ham are refusing to sell the France footballer and club’s most talented player. Bilic says Payet has “probably been tapped up by some clubs”.
Bilic says, “We’re not going to sell him, not whatsoever.”
Payet earns £125,000 a week at West Ham. He’s on a five-year contract signed in February 2016. Happy to sign then and now, apparently, desperate to leave, where will he go?
The Mail says Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with Payet. The Sun says Chelsea will move for 29-year-old West Ham playmaker. The Times says West Ham want a transfer fee of between £35m and £40m before they let Payet leave the club. The Mirror says “it could take £30m to persuade the Hammers to sell”.
The Sun says Payet wants to play for Marseilles, who have offered £18m for his services. He is “on strike” in an effort to force through a move to the French club.
But why would another club want him? The Mail says his “standards have slipped this season”. The paper sets out to prove this by showing readers that after 18 games last season, Payet had scored 6 goals. This term after 18 matches, he has 2 goals. But he’s provided 6 assists this season against 4 last season. He boasts a passing accuracy of 81% against last season’s 82%. He has run 108 miles – two miles less than the 110 he’d covered at the same stage last season. Add in a summer spent working so well for France at the Euro 16 and you’d be hard pressed to spot a downward trend in Payet’s play.
The Mail punches more holes in its argument by noting than in 2016, Payet created 144 chances – a Premier League high. He was involved in 21 goals (6 goals plus 15 assists) – also a Premier League high.
The paper’s Neil Ashton says Payet “has barely lifted a leg” this season.
As you try to work out how those stats mark an overall “slip” in form, the Mail says Payet’ is “claiming he was injured and cannot train”.
Whatever the truth of it is, Payet is not playing – and that only helps West Ham’s rivals.
Posted: 13th, January 2017 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
