Monday, January 23

Time for Payet to go

It says all you need to know about the wealth of modern footballers that Dimitri Payet is happy to forgo £25,000 a week appearance money through refusing to play. He's probably more upset about being removed from the players' WhatsApp group.

Andy Carroll spoke some sense after Saturday's win when he said: “Our response [to Payet’s strike] just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves. It proves our passion for football, for the manager and for our club. It’s everything. No one player is going to destroy anything."

No doubt Andy likes dosh as much as the next footballer, but he gives the impression he'd always play and put in a shift whether on Hackney Marshes or the Olympic Stadium.

Marseille are said to have come back in with an improved £26 million offer and it's surely time to sell Payet. What's so sad is that all of this was avoidable. Payet and his handlers could simply have said that he is homesick and wants to return to France for the sake of his family. He would always be grateful to the West Ham fans for their support and to the club for getting him in to the French national side. He might have added that he'd play his heart out as a professional until he left, but regrettably he was putting in a transfer request. If necessary he'd stay until the end of the season.

That way he could have retained our affection and left with some dignity. But instead he's decided to sulk and then strike and turned himself into the Moriarty of E20. David Sullivan is right to insist on some sort of apology to the fans.

3 comments:

kennycandb said...

The time for him to go is when the clubs valuation is met ie £35mil. Bear in mind, this valuation reflects his age because if he were 25 or 26, his valuation would be £55mil. That fact is pretty well agreed amongst the football pundits. No, the fact is this was a preconceived plan between Payet and Marsaille for Payet to get what he wants and Marsaille to get a top player on the cheap. Well done DS for standing firm.

Pete May said...

Yes it does seem to be a preconceived plan. Unfortunately he might have taken a few million off his summer valuation through only playing at 80 per cent this season and then showing he's got a dodgy attitude. We should hold out for as much as we can but don't want to end up with a Berahino situation either. West Brom tuned down a £23 million move to Spurs but ended up selling him for £13 million to Stoke after a stand-off. I'd take something close to £30m for Payet, particularly as he seems to have burned his bridges with the rest of the squad.

Unknown said...

I would take £30 million for him & I would be happy to hold out for that amount. Let him see out in the rest of his contact with the under 23's if nobody bids that amount.