‘I didn’t hesitate’ – Former West Ham star opens up on controversial exit
A former West Ham star has spoken about his controversial exit from the London Stadium back in 2017.
The Irons are enjoying a brilliant time under David Moyes at the moment. They are sat third in the Premier League table after having won seven out of 11 fixtures.
They are also top of their Europa League group with a four-point advantage on second-placed Dinamo Zagreb. There is no reason to suggest that West Ham cannot go far in the tournament.
The next aim for club officials is to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition, the Champions League. They occupied a top four spot for parts of last season but could not hold on. Liverpool and Chelsea took third and fourth respectively.
France international Dimitri Payet is one man West Ham used to rely on for inspiration, but have now moved on from.
He joined the Irons in July 2015 for a reported £13.5million and soon became a top performer. Payet managed nine goals and 12 assists in his debut campaign as West Ham finished seventh.
Things were working out for both parties, until rumours of a Marseille return came about. The French club were intent on re-signing Payet as part of their ‘OM Champions’ project.
He was open to a transfer, despite its potential to ruin his relationship with the club and their fans. A deal was struck in January 2017 as Marseille paid £25m for his services.
During a recent interview, Payet was quizzed about his West Ham exit. The attacking midfielder said (via Sport Witness): “Did I hesitate to come back? Not for one second.
“The idea was in the back of my head after the second game of the Euros, when we played at the Velodrome. It had been in my head for a few months.
“It was also a family choice. I didn’t hesitate for one second. The most difficult [thing] was trying to convince West Ham.”
Payet is on 65 goals in 266 games for Marseille in all competitions as things stand.
Brendan Rodgers the frontrunner as Man Utd consider Solskjaer sack
West Ham target admits ‘top level’ dream
Meanwhile, Hull City starlet Keane Lewis-Potter has revealed his ‘dream’ is to play at the highest level.
The winger is one of Hull’s most valuable assets. But a transfer could soon occur as West Ham and Brentford are monitoring his situation.
When asked about the transfer links, Lewis-Potter said: “I don’t concentrate on that right now, I just concentrate on Hull and helping my boyhood club get to where we are and climb the table,” he said.
“It’s just about the team at the minute and winning matches, and doing the best I can for the team.
“Every player has to have high hopes and ambitions, every players’ dream is to play at the top level and hopefully I can achieve that.
“People speak about it but I try not to listen, you can get ahead of yourself and that’s when it starts to go downhill.
“You always have to back yourself but to concentrate on what’s happening now is the best thing to do.”
READ MORE: Kretinsky to back Moyes in pursuit of two West Ham targets in January
The post ‘I didn’t hesitate’ – Former West Ham star opens up on controversial exit appeared first on TEAMtalk.