West Ham co-owner comments on selling Dimitri Payet.
West Ham last night confirmed the sale of star winger Dimitri Payet, with the Frenchman returning to Marseille.
Payet’s move nets the Hammers £25 million, coming just 12 months after he signed a contract extension.
Swansea City’s Angel Rangel in action with West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
The playmaker had been a fan favourite at the club but went on strike in order to force a move, angering everybody associated with West Ham.
After selling Payet, co-owner David Sullivan issued a statement on the club’s website, insisting he would have rather let the winger rot in the reserves, but Slaven Bilic’s desire to get rid of him led them to cashing in.
He said: “The club would like to place on record its sincere disappointment that Dimitri Payet did not show the same commitment and respect to West Ham United that the club and fans showed him, particularly when it rewarded him with a lucrative new five-and-half-year deal only last year.
France’s Dimitri Payet celebrates after scoring
“I would like to make it clear that we have no financial need to sell our best players and that the decision to allow Payet to leave was in accordance with the wishes of the manager and the interests of squad unity.
“To be frank, my board and I would have preferred for him to have stayed in order to make an example of him, as no player is bigger than the club.”
This was followed up by son Jack Sullivan hitting out at the departed star on Twitter, branding Payet a snake.
He did backtrack a little, but his initial message goes to show the way his exit hurt those who previously revered Payet as a hero.
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