There have been some very good signings from last summer’s transfer window in the Premier League. N’Golo Kante has dominated the middle of the park for Leicester City, while Christian Fuchs has been a hallmark of consistency for the Foxes. Virgil Van Dijk has been a rock at the back of the Southampton defence; Dele Alli has been a revelation for Tottenham after joining the club last February; Roberto Firmino has grown into his place at Liverpool, impressing with some brilliant performances. None of them, though, have been as good as Dimitri Payet. The French wizard is at the heart of everything West Ham do, and they will go as far as he can take them.
Payet joined the Hammers from Marseille last summer in a deal worth £10 million, in a move that didn’t generate a lot of buzz around the Premier League. But co-Chairman David Sullivan was excited, knowing he has signed himself quite the player.
“We have signed a world-class player. If he was 22 he would be £30m plus, but he’s still in his prime.” Payet too was excited at his new challenge, “I like attacking football and the fact they’re counting on me to help achieve that gives me a sense of responsibility” he said.
West Ham move into the Olympic Stadium next season, and this will vastly increase their matchday revenue on top of the record broadcasting deal that will see the entire division’s pockets filled to the brim. The club knew they needed to make moves in the summer, and they did.
Slaven Bilic was appointed in early June, and so far has been a rousing success. He has built upon the foundations Sam Allardyce put in place securing the team’s place in the Premier League. The Croatian has rejuvenated the club, and revamped its playing style.
None of the players who have had a renaissance under Bilic have been as influential as Payet. He has already registered 11 goals and 11 assists in just 30 appearances, and they’ve not been the same side when Payet has not been available:
- With Payet: 15 wins, 8 draws, 6 losses.
- Without Payet: 1 win, 5 draws, 1 loss.
When the Frenchman missed seven consecutive league games with a ligament tear in his knee, the Hammers scored only five goals and had three straight 0-0 draws. They were a completely different team without him driving them forward.
Whether it’s shooting from distance, playing through balls or crosses into team-mates or dribbling, Payet can do it all. With him in the side the Hammers average 1.82 points per game in the league, which would be good enough for tied with Arsenal in third place if he hadn’t missed those seven games.
His being tied down to a new and improved deal in February a mere eight months after joining the club shows his value to the team already. It would take a bid somewhere in the range of £30-35 million for the former Marseille man to leave the club, and he turns 29 at the end of the month.
Heading into a new stadium with a talisman who is as good a playmaker as there is in the Premier League, the future is bright for West Ham United. And it’s Payet at the centre of it all.
