Dimitri Payet has gone from hero to zero at the London Stadium.
The mercurial Frenchman, who has been hailed as better than Zinedine Zidane by Hammers fans since joining the club in 2015, is now being condemned as a disloyal mercenary for demanding a transfer away from the capital club.
An ashen faced Slaven Bilic admitted to the media this week that Payet no longer wants to play for West Ham, with his head well and truly turned by former club Marseille’s interest. Thus far the French side have offered a paltry £19m for the playmaker.
But so concerned are the club that their supporters will express their anger at the 29-year-old with matchday trouble ahead of their home game versus Crystal Palace, that they’ve given one security guard a very important job – guarding a picture of the player.
That’s right – a dedicated steward is on red alert as he guards a larger than life image of Payet on a stadium billboard. As you would expect, this has tickled fans of other clubs at the sheer hilarity of goings on at the state-subsidised Hammers home…
Dimitri Payet's picture needs a bodyguard #whufc pic.twitter.com/IHGRFhXU4D
— Andy Sims (@AndyCSims) January 14, 2017
LOL with the security at #WHU the irony …
— Kathryn Williams ⭐⭐ (@kathrynmk) January 14, 2017
@MattGault11 incase he escapes 😂😂
— Robbie Dunne (@robbiejdunne) January 14, 2017
They stationed a steward right next to the Payet blurb outside the London Stadium. I wonder why… pic.twitter.com/hYt1MEyKnx
— Ian Danter (@talkdants) January 14, 2017
Dimitri Payet’s picture now comes with security at the London Stadium… [via @Matt_Barlow_DM] pic.twitter.com/sb9j0YRadA
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 14, 2017
Man marking for Dimitri Payet pic.twitter.com/eA8tqelLXW
— Matt Barlow (@Matt_Barlow_DM) January 14, 2017