West Ham have been offered the chance to re-sign Dimitri Payet in what would be a sensational move, according to a reliable journalist.
Guardian correspondent Jacob Steinberg claimed on his personal Twitter account that the representatives of the France playmaker have contacted the Hammers to ask if they might be keen on taking Payet 18 months after his transfer back to Marseille.
Steinberg explained that Manuel Pellegrini is “mulling it over” and has sought the counsel of senior players, including those who would have played alongside the Frenchman during his first spell.
West Ham have been offered the chance to sign Dimitri Payet from Marseille. No, it’s not 2015. Player’s reps have contacted club. Manuel Pellegrini mulling it over and has sought advice from senior players #whufc
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) July 6, 2018
Good move for West Ham?
Only if there were reassurances from Payet that he would not repeat his conduct of 2016-17 when he effectively went on strike in order to engineer a move back to Marseille. Moreover, the player is now 31 and there must be question marks as to whether he can make the impact he did when he first joined in the summer of 2015. The playmaker missed the World Cup due to injury, but he might not have made the team anyway, given the intense competition for France attacking places. Nevertheless, Payet directly contributed to 34 goals in his 47 Marseille appearances last season, including 10 goals and 24 assists. Those are startlingly good numbers and suggests he has still got the old magic.
This Is Futbol rating 6/10
Likely to happen?
There would be no more surprising transfer this summer than Payet returning to West Ham, partly because of the finger-pointing manner of his exit in January of last year and also because his form and public pronouncements have suggested he is happy in France. But, in the crazy world of Premier League football, anything goes. So don’t rule it out completely.
This Is Futbol rating 4/10