Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to quotes which have emerged that were made by the Hammers’ former attacker Dimitri Payet.
Speaking to Clicanoo, as cited by Claret & Hugh, the Frenchman discussed his time with the Irons and the lack of drive he received while in London.
According to the now-Olympique de Marseille attacker, the Hammers are a “popular but modest Premier League club” and when he performed badly “nobody fell on” him.
He went on to state that at his current Ligue 1 club, that is not the case.
In the interview, Payet said that he “can’t fall asleep” with his performances now and that even when he has performed well, “you can always fault my [Payet’s] performance”.
Having arrived in London from Marseille in the summer of 2015, the Frenchman was with the Hammers for a year and a half before returning to the club he came from in January 2017 (per Transfermarkt).
Following his comments being shared to social media (via @whufc_news), though, supporters aired their thoughts on what the 33-year-old had to say.
Payet: “West Ham is a popular but modest Premier League club. When I was not good, nobody fell on me. Here at Marseille this is not the case. You can’t fall asleep on your laurels. Even when I’m good and the team wins, you can always fault my performance.” pic.twitter.com/afAzNsX0XM
— West Ham News (@WHUFC_News) June 1, 2020
He was so good the club seemed afraid to upset him. They maybe could’ve built on his talent but I think he’s trying to rewrite history. He downed tools after his performances for France where he and most pundits concluded he was too good for Irons.
— PK (@PKPiqued) June 1, 2020
Telling the truth.
— Pride of East London (@prideofeastldn) June 1, 2020
While with the Irons, Payet managed a hugely impressive 15 goals and 23 assists over 60 appearances for the club (per Transfermarkt), which have clearly left fans infatuated.
Come back
— Brad ? WHUFC (@BradHellyer1) June 1, 2020
Everyone who doesn’t like Payet due to how his exit from West Ham came about cant deny the fact that everything he says about the directionlessness of the club is true. He was the best midfielder in Europe at the time and the Board bought in the likes of Nordveidt and Feghouli.
— Josh Verrills (@WestHamJoshV) June 1, 2020
When the Frenchman left the Hammers, though, he caused outrage at the time as he seemed to force his way out of the club to secure a move back to his homeland (per The Telegraph).
This season, the 33-year-old’s class has yet again been on show as he has been Marseille’s best-performing player in Ligue 1 with a stellar 7.73/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
Do you think that Dimitri Payet will ever return to West Ham?No, it's never happening
Yes, it could happen
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Struggling to disagree with this and if you analyse it a bit it shows we don’t have a winning mentality.
A last pay day or a stepping stone— ?Steve? (@gsbout2) June 1, 2020
please i beg you come back
— ?Wasim Hussain? (@Wackieewazziee) June 1, 2020
Sadly true.
— I am West Ham Van (@WesthamVan1) June 1, 2020
While many supporters were positive towards their former player despite him forcing his exit from the club, some fans had not forgiven the French attacker for his departure.
Yeah its our fault he is a snake ?, gutted he left and he is the beat player I’ve ever seen personally at Upton Park but we all know what went on
— Stuart G (@StewieGod3) June 1, 2020
As can be seen in these responses from West Ham fans, though, supporters clearly believe that his abilities are undeniable. However, some fans are more forgiving than others.