James Collins has hit out at Dimitri Payet’s actions at West Ham by claiming that he created a ‘toxic’ atmosphere in the dressing room, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
The former centre-back added that Payet was West Ham’s best player ‘by a mile’, before going to the Euros and then coming back with his ‘head turned’.
The words ‘streets won’t forget’ jumps to mind when talking about a player of Payet’s quality.
From his ridiculous showboating to his quite stunning free-kicks, no player had showcased that kind of magic in east London since the Paolo Di Canio days.
Slaven Bilic was the man in the West Ham dugout when the Payet saga started and that now-infamous press conference when he shared that ‘there is a problem. It’s Dimitri Payet. He wants to leave’.
Nonetheless, this is what Collins, who was part of the West Ham dressing room at the time, had to say about Payet.
“I was at West Ham when Slaven Bilic was in charge and we had a massive problem with Dimitri Payet,” said Collins. “He was our best player by a mile. He would win us games single-handedly.
“He went away to the Euros. Sort of got his head turned and came back a different man. He started causing trouble in the dressing room. It got toxic, which was having a huge effect on the squad.
“I don’t think Slaven got enough credit for how he dealt with it. He came in one day and said ‘that’s it, you are gone. No player is bigger than the team’.
“He has gone to Marseille and put on a few stones by the looks of it.”
Whilst West Ham are now flying high, they haven’t been able to produce a player of Payet’s qualities since his exit.
Whilst he is nearing his 35th birthday, it would be interesting to see how the France international would be welcomed back by supporters if he returned in whatever capacity.
On one hand, he produced moments that the Hammers faithful will remember for a very long time.
But, on the other, it could be argued that he disrespected the badge because of the manner he left the club.
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