Dimitri Payet is a player who has long been heralded as a potentially great player. At St. Etienne and then Lille, Premier League clubs would scout him and determine that he just didn’t have enough about him to play in the world’s toughest league.
However, it was a move to Marseille and legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa where things changed for him.
“He (Marcelo Bielsa) made me more mature and consistent. He put order into my game. I still have his advice in my head.” he later told L’Equipe.
It was this spell that attracted the attentions of West Ham, who paid £10.7million to acquire the services of the skillful Frenchman and since then his career has really taken off. From his very first appearance, it was apparent that West Ham had got a real bargain and signed a player capable of performing the seemingly impossible.
So much so, that just a few months later West Ham rewarded him with a £125,000 a week contract. This was half as a reward for his efforts, but no doubt West Ham wanted to ensure that they kept their man with Europe’s elite paying attention to his performances. He went on to be shortlisted for the PFA player of the year award and also won the West Ham player of the Year award in recognition of his amazing performances.
If it wasn’t already obvious to the observing super clubs, it was Euro 2016 where he announced his arrival as one of the world’s best. He was simply outstanding for a France team that got to the finals in their home tournament. In the opening game for France, he delivered a MOTM performance as he scored a superb goal from the edge of the box in the 88th minute to give France the 3 points. The rest of his tournament was littered with numerous other goals and assists. He was simply unstoppable.
30 – Dimitri Payet has created 30 goalscoring chances for his teammates this season, more than any other Premier League player. Artist. pic.twitter.com/Sm7WoQ8nyL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 30, 2016
And reports in the summer hinted that Payet was linked with both Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain. And it was also claimed that the interest was mutual as both clubs explored a possible transfer.
But despite the interest in a switch, West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David gold were keen to keep hold of their Frenchman and had the security of the 125k per week contract that he signed in February. They simply had no need to sell.
Even after missing two important games this season, Payet has been responsible for creating 32 chances (after Everton’s game) for his West Ham teammates. This is a tally that is higher than any other player in the Premier League. Quite frankly, the midfield magician is doing it again and his performances merit playing for one of the top clubs. Not a team who are struggling in 16th place.
Perhaps this is something that is in the mind of Payet as his club lingers above relegation. One West Ham fan said after their recent 2-0 defeat away to Everton: “Payet could decide to leave in January and at the moment his body language is really lacking.”