After yet another underwhelming season at the London Stadium, West Ham United are now desperate to be back among the best in the country next season. Their recruitment of Manuel Pellegrini is certainly a step in the right direction but it will now be important for the board to back up the Chilean in the transfer market this summer.
Pellegrini has been busy and has already added a couple of fresh faces to his side this transfer window. However, he continues to be linked with some exciting names but one name dividing the West Ham fan base is Dimitri Payet.
The 31-year old joined West Ham from Marseille in 2015 and made an immediate impact on the club, registering impressive numbers in front of goal, and helping the Hammers to a place in the Europa League, in just his first season at the club. He was also named the Player of the Year for the 2015-16 campaign, as he established himself as one of the best playmakers in the country.
He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year that season and it looked like Payet would take Hammers closer and closer to some success. However, just months later, he turned against the club, throwing tantrums half-way through the next season, as West Ham were struggling in the bottom half of the table.
Payet decided not to attend training sessions, leaving the then manager Slaven Bilic with no options but to cut him loose in January 2017. By that time, his stint at the club had already made him a fan-favorite and the way he quit the club did not go down well with the supporters. West Ham’s co-owner accused Payet of betrayal while the fans themselves throwing eggs at his care as a show of dissent.
He joined Marseille that January and seemed to have retained his creativity, registering 10 goals and 20 assists in all competitions last season. However, with the French outfit now looking to raise some funds, they have reportedly offered West Ham a chance to sign Payet again this summer.
He will cost more than the £25m Marseille paid for him last January, so is he a player the Hammers should sign?
Pellegrini is without Manuel Lanzini for most of next season and could do with the addition of a player like Payet. Jack Wilshere has joined the club but Payet adds a different dimension to the attack, that can trouble the best of teams in the country.
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However, at 31, he is not a long-term option and is not expected to be received well by the West Ham faithful. So Pellegrini is better off spending on another player, who can have a similar impact at the club.
