Dimitri Payet on Strike: West Ham Rejected Offer

SLAVEN BILIC can breathe a huge sigh of relief now the real scale of his problems with Dimitri Payet have been aired in public.

“We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay”, Bilic said.

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic admits that he is “angry” at Dimitri Payet’s refusal to play for the club.

Ligue 1 club Marseille have seen a £20m bid for Payet rejected, with officials at West Ham telling Marseille he is not for sale.

“I’m not closing the door on anything”, Payet told SFR in late December.

Wenger though would be happy if January could pass by without any comings and goings whatsoever mid-season, insisting that the January transfer window goes “against the spirit” of the league.

Of course, it wasn’t for want of trying. Defoe was crucial in Sunderland’s survival last season, and has been influential once again this year with 11 goals and a historic 150th Premier league goal so far. He quickly became one of the most respected players in the Premier League.

This saga will no doubt affect on West Ham’s performances as they have an inner city derby against Crystal Palace next weekend.

Dimitri Payet was the best player with 12 assists and nine goals.

“It’s not as though West Ham couldn’t see this coming – this has been in the works for a while”.

Michy Batshuayi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have both been linked with a loan move to West Ham.

Bearing that in mind, there is a sense of naivety in West Ham’s insistence that he will remain at the club. In the end, the players tend to win these types of situations, and it would surprise me if Payet is a West Ham player at the end of the summer.

But many West Ham fans were confused by this stubborn stance. Unless the club take a really hard line and say “no you’re not going anywhere and we’ll let you sit around for two years”.

Strong words from Giles, the question now is what next for Payet? The physicality and intensity of Arturo Vidal were thought to be a flawless fit for the Premier League although Chelsea’s moves for the midfielder appear to have been rebuffed. “Marseille has a new project that seems to be interesting”. We gave him a new contract.

It certainly appears that a player whose attitude has been called into question on numerous occasions in the past is determined to jump ship just as the waters are getting choppy.