Ligue 1 side Marseille are thought to be closing in on snapping up their former player Dimitri Payet from Premier League’s West Ham
The 27-year-old Payet has been in phenomenal form for the Hammers this season, scoring three goals and notching eight assists in 22 matches in all competitions so far.
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However, his performance on the pitch has been noticeably lacklustre in recent weeks, ever since West Ham found themselves in the thick of a relegation battle in the beginning of December last year. True enough, without their star player in his usual form, West Ham have won only three of their last seven league games.
West Ham need Payet now more than ever, to solidify their place in the table. The club are currently in 12th with 25 points, nine points clear of relegation with seventeen games left to play.
But unfortunately for the London side, it appears the French playmaker isn’t up to it, with Hammers boss Slaven Bilic revealing in a press conference: “We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us.”
Enter Marseille. The club have launched a £20m bid for the player earlier this month, but had seen that offer turned down. Undeterred, the French side are now angling a third bid for Payet, according to Sky Sports, and they hope to seal the deal this time round.
West Ham, for their part, should accede to Dimitri Payet’s wishes of leaving the London Stadium. His unsavoury attitude does not help team morale at all. Furthermore, that kind of volatile figure may well end up costing the club on the pitch.
Payet’s attitude has already unsettled a few of his team-mates, with captain Mark Noble disgusted by the Frenchman’s antics.
“I am angry and disappointed, because I have always said that he is one of the best players I have ever played with,” Noble said.
“I have been here all my life so I find it hard to realise that someone wouldn’t want to play for the club. It’s a massive club and he is absolutely adored – was adored here – by the fans,” the West Ham captain added.
It is clear that Payet is causing a divide in the West Ham ranks, so to let him go, while the transfer market is still open, is an option the club should highly consider. After all, Noble said it best that “if someone doesn’t want to play for the team then they are better off not even playing.”