What with time to reflect on his messy divorce from West Ham United, Dimitri Payet has further endeared himself to the London Stadium faithull by declaring the real reason he decided to up stick and make way for sunny Marseille.
The Frenchplayaker made world fotball stand up and take notice after a string of mindblowing Premier League performances in the claret and blue of the Hammers, not too mention a starring role in France’s route to the Euro 2016 final.
In a recent interview with L’Equipe, Payet discussed his exit, firmly putting the blame on Slaven Bilic’s new found footballing approach after a stellar season;
“The way of approaching matches, the defensive system put in place, did not please me. You can say I was bored, yes.
“With a 5-4-1 in front of our area, I could have all the freedoms in the world, but it was difficult to express myself.
“I played the last few matches without taking any pleasure in them.
He continued;
“At home against Hull, we won 1-0 and they hit the post four times. In the changing room everyone was happy, but the the man of the match that day was the post.
“I thought that I would not have room for improvement. On the contrary, I risked regressing. I needed another challenge.
As desperate as he was to get out of the club he enjoyed one of the most fruitful spells in his career, Payet wasn’t completely dismissive of the supporters as you’d think.
“They hated me as much as they’d loved me. I can’t blame them.
“They gave me a lot and I’ll never forget it.