West Ham United were thumped again on Sunday evening.
Speaking on BBC Sport, Chris Sutton has questioned Dimitri Payet’s contribution in West Ham United’s 3-0 home defeat by Southampton on Sunday.
It has gone from bad to worse for West Ham, who continue to look like a shadow of the side which performed so well under Slaven Bilic last season.
Charlie Austin fired Southampton into a 1-0 half-time lead at The Olympic Stadium, before further efforts from Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse sealed an easy win.
The Irons have now won only one of their first six Premier League games of the season.
Payet, West Ham’s Player of the Year last term, also looks to be struggling to influence his side in the way he managed in the 2015-16 season, despite hitting a wonderul free kick in the midweek League Cup win over Accrington Stanley.
Outspoken pundit Sutton has refused to tip-toe around the Frenchman’s form any longer and has simply claimed that he looks a shadow of his former self.
“Dimitri Payet looks a shadow of the player from last season. Ok, he scored a free-kick against Accrington, but who are they,” he told BBC Sport.
“West Ham’s players don’t even look that bothered! We saw Dimitri Payet’s talent in the European Championships but he hasn’t shown it here.”
Payet has been well below his very high standards, even after starting three of the Hammers’ six league outings, but form is temporary and class is permanent as the old adage goes, and few would be surprised if he re-established himself as a huge player for the club shortly.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet in action with Accrington Stanley’s Scott Brown
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