West Ham ace seemed so committed to the club.
West Ham were last week rocked by the revelation that Dimitri Payet has gone on strike and wants to quit the club.
Payet did not feature in the weekend’s win over Crystal Palace, and no deal appears close after The BBC reported last night that the Hammers have rejected another bid from former club Marseille.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet shakes the hand of West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic after he is substituted off
Payet’s stance is remarkable because he had signed a new contract at West Ham just 12 months earlier, which runs until 2021.
No fan should be naive enough to expect contracts to mean much in modern football, but it is Payet’s words and not just his signature which he is undermining.
Last year when he signed his new deal, he was glowing about his future in East London.
He said, quoted by SkySports at the time: “For me it’s a big step, an enormous show of faith, particularly from the chairman [David] Sullivan and from the manager
“I thank them for that, and I am proud and I’m happy to prolong the adventure with West Ham.
“I’ve said it several times, I feel good here, everyone’s done all that they can to make me feel good. I want to help West Ham grow and, once again, this new contract shows my desire and motivation to fulfil those objectives.”
France’s Dimitri Payet celebrates at the end of the match
Payet’s free kick specials, marvellous assists, and on pitch charisma saw him quickly become a fan favourite at the club, but he has struggled to hit top form this season, and it seems now that his mind has certainly been elsewhere.
Perhaps it should have been obvious from his comments a year ago that all was not right, not by anything he said, but the fact he was even making them at all.
Payet had signed a contract with West Ham just six months earlier, why was there a need for him to be handed a new deal just half a season in?
He said all the right things, but really a departure was always on the agenda for the Frenchman.
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