West Ham United midfielder Sofiane Feghouli has lifted the lid on his struggles but insists he won’t be doing a Dimitri Payet.
France star Payet rocked the Hammers earlier this month when he told manager Slaven Bilic he would never kick a ball for the club again if they did not sell him back to former club Marseille.
Payet is reportedly homesick and is desperate to return to France to be with his family who failed to settle in London.
Bilic and West Ham’s co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan insist Payet will only be sold if Marseille meet their valuation and he is currently training with the club’s development team away from the first team squad.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
Captain Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Winston Reid have all hinted the team spirit is better without Payet’s brooding attitude.
Results on the pitch have backed that up with back-to-back 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough respectively pushing the Hammers into the top half of the Premier League table.
In Payet’s absence one of Bilic’s summer signings Sofiane Feghouli has stepped up to the plate with vastly improved performances.
The skillful Algerian looked like he may be offloaded to Roma after struggling to impress during West Ham’s torrid first half of the season.
West Ham United’s Sofiane Feghouli hugs West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
And while the former Valencia man has admitted on the club’s official website he has struggled to adapt to life in London, he insists his family will not be forcing him to do a Payet.
“To begin with it was tough when I was struggling to be given a chance,” Feghouli told whufc.com.
“London doesn’t quite feel like home just yet, but it’s a lovely city and people are very open here.
“It’s hard when things aren’t going as well on the pitch, it’s harder to feel at home but things are looking up in that regard and I’m very happy here.
“My family is very happy here too. The Club always does everything they can to help new players settle in, too.”
A first league goal for the Hammers against Palace seems to have done Feghouli the world of good as he slowly rediscovers the confidence which made him a favourite at Valencia.
His lack of game time saw him left out of Algeria’s African Nations squad. But that could turn out to be a blessing in disguise after they were knocked out after just two games.
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