Wednesday 18 January 2017 17:40, UK
Just how important is Dimitri Payet to West Ham? As his future is thrown into doubt, Whoscored.com take a look at the stats...
“Payet does not want to play for us.” That solitary sentence was like a dagger through the heart of West Ham boss Slaven Bilic as he confirmed that key man and creator-in-chief Dimitri Payet wishes to leave the club on Thursday.
After a stunning Euro 2016 campaign, speculation surrounding the 29-year-old was rife, with Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan stating the player was worth £100m following rumoured interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Along with N’Golo Kante, Payet was arguably the signing of last season following his arrival at West Ham from Marseille. He scored nine goals and registered a further 12 assists to record an impressive WhoScored.com rating of 7.74, but recent events certainly leave a sour taste in the mouths of Hammers fans.
While his influence may have lessened somewhat in his second season in east London, the player’s desire to leave has also raised questions of West Ham’s recent transfer business.
The Hammers were linked with a host of big-name strikers over the summer, yet the captures of Jonathan Calleri and Simone Zaza hardly inspired confidence. That duo have already fallen out of favour, and a calf injury to Andre Ayew in the opening week of the season did not help their cause either.
Of course, it wasn’t for want of trying. West Ham’s owners strived to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michy Batshuayi, Alexandre Lacazette and Carlos Bacca, to name four of their reported targets, but a failure to bring in a sufficient striker means the club languish in 13th in the Premier League. Their top-scoring striker is Andy Carroll, who has just two Premier League goals to his name.
Indeed, it’s feasible to suggest that a consistent goalscorer would have placed West Ham in the top half of the table. Payet has made more key passes (74) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season; Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is his closest competitor, back on 58.
While to some he may have failed to hit the creative heights of his debut campaign, Payet has still significantly improved West Ham in the final third and remained crucial to their output, registering six assists.
Since Payet’s arrival, the Hammers average 1.67 goals per league game with him starting compared to just 0.92 without him. As such, West Ham’s win percentage drops from 41.3 per cent to 25 per cent when he does not feature from the off.
Having been directly involved in 33 per cent of West Ham’s 88 league goals since signing, the club are now facing the mountainous task of replacing their key attacker before the month draws to a close, be it internally or from an external source.
It’s fair to say, though, that none of Bilic’s current attacking players offer a similar threat to Payet. Manuel Lanzini ranks second for key passes at West Ham this season with 22 - a whopping 53 behind Payet - while Michail Antonio is third with 17.
Should West Ham sanction Payet’s departure despite Bilic's insistence that he won't be sold, they could use the funds raised to bring in another creative star to fill the gargantuan void Payet’s possible exit would leave.
WhoScored.com have already picked out a number of possible contenders to help cover the potential loss of Payet, including Ryad Boudebouz and Jonathan Viera, but of course that hinges on the France international’s sale.
At his age, Payet perhaps believes he should be challenging for major honours rather than plying his trade for a mid-table Premier League side who sit seven points above the relegation zone. Having come within touching distance of winning the European Championship in the summer, it's understandable that Payet might have a thirst for winners’ medals.
Nevertheless, the Hammers fans aren't happy, and for good reason. With their former favourite seemingly keen on a return to his former club Marseille, his intentions in terms of leaving for silverware could certainly be questioned.
While reports suggest that he is looking to move due to his family not having settled in London, it didn't prevent him from signing a new bumper contract last season.
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. The fans might not be singing 'We've got Payet' for much longer.
