No Payet, No Problem – Here Are 3 Alternate Solutions For West Ham

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic confirmed earlier this month that star man Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the Hammers and is inching towards a move back to his former team Marseille.

The French international was sensational for the East London club in his debut season in English football last term, netting nine goals and further setting up 12 more for the club as they finished in the seventh place in the league.

Following this, an excellent summer with France in the Euro 2016, where he scored three times, resulted in speculation about his future at West Ham, with Champions League winners Real Madrid reportedly interested in him at the start of the current season.

However, 29-year-old Payet pledged his future to the Hammers, but a poor start to the campaign saw him grow disillusioned with life in London, and now has straight-out refused to play for the club and is reportedly close to a move back to France with the clubs currently in negotiations over the transfer fee.

Payet hasn’t been in the best of form in front of goal this term and has scored only twice in the league for the Hammers, but has been their creative hub, having created 72 clear-cut chances along with 6 assists to go with. His moving will leave a void at the Olympic Stadium, but Bilic’s side have been showing that they can cope without him, putting in some excellent displays in recent weeks, that has seen them rise to the 10^th place in the league standings.

However, with Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio the only options on the wings, along with the misfiring Sofiane Feghouli, replacing Payet becomes key for the Hammers.

So here are three plausible targets that West Ham could look to bring in as the Frenchman’s replacement:

Gylfi Sigurdsson

The Icelandic international has been the star performer for strugglers Swansea City this season and has reportedly been eyed by West Ham to replace Payet.

Sigurdsson has been one of the most consistent performers in the English top-flight over the years with the Welsh outfit and has carried on with his good form this year as well, having already scored 6 times and assisted a further 6 strikes. The 27-year old has also created 41 chances this term and has been one of the very few bright spots for the Swans in a season full of gloom.

While he may not offer the same as Payet in terms of width and dribbling and the burst of pace, Sigurdsson is an intelligent operator and is extremely hard-working and has that natural instinct for goal. He can also present a great threat from set-piece deliveries. With Swansea looking to be headed for relegation, Sigurdsson could be tempted at joining West Ham and he would go a long way in filling the void left by Payet.

Ivan Perisic

The Croatian international is another wide-man who has been linked with a move to the Olympic Stadium since the news of Payet’s departure came out.

Perisic has been in fine form for Inter Milan this season and has been a key member for them, having featured in all but one Serie A games this term. Inter’s second leading scorer with 7 goals, Perisic is only behind Mauro Icardi and also has a single assist against his name, along with 31 clear-cut chances created.

The 27-year old possesses a good turn of pace and loves to go past his opponents and is also good in the air. Predominantly left-footed, Perisic can wreak havoc cutting in from the right-flank and could be a fine addition to the Hammers’ side with his guaranteed goals and his flair on the wings.

Robert Snodgrass

The Hull City attacker was the subject of a rejected £3 million bid from West Ham earlier this month, but now they are reported to be going back in with a higher bid believed to be in the region of £8 million as they see him as the man to replace Payet.

Snodgrass has been in prime form for the Tigers this season and has been the only good thing about them. The Scotsman has scored 7 goals so far this term and also has 3 assists along with the 45 clear-cut chances created. Versatile by nature, the 29-year old can slot in on either wing or play as a central midfielder, making him a valuable asset to the team.

Snodgrass recently signed a new one-year deal with Hull, but given their chances of getting relegated, a switch to West Ham might be of appeal. Pacey, good in possession, a set-piece threat, he could prove to be the perfect replacement for Payet.