It wouldn’t be football without a healthy dose of farce.
After he was hailed as the messiah, then after a fairly disastrous streak that demonstrated that he was not, Dimitri Payet decided his heart did not lie at West Ham.
Just recently a deal worth £25m was struck with Marseille to allow Payet leave the Irons. Co-chairman David Sulliman said in a statement that the club was disappointed Payet “did not show the same commitment and respect to West Ham United that the club and fans showed him, particularly when it rewarded him with a lucrative new five-and-a-half-year deal only last year.”
This left West Ham fans who had invested in shirts bearing the Frenchman’s name wondering what they were supposed to do with them. Vice-chair Karren Brady helpfully announced that fans could bring their Payet shirts in and, for an extra £25, get a replacement.
Morning, bring back your Payet shirt to any of the club shops & you will get a new replacement for £25, full details on WHU web site today. https://t.co/i9BPrS6YG1
— Baroness Karren Brady CBE (@karren_brady) January 30, 2017
But as some fans pointed out, thanks to a recent drop in prices, that would save jilted Hammers fans a whopping £11.66. But what if that’s simply not good enough? What if you don’t want to swap your shirt? What if you want to make a statement?
One fan did just that, by simply crossing Payet’s name and number out, replacing him with defender Winston Reid.
this guy had the right idea pic.twitter.com/wtJ8FaH5b2
— Andrew Stares (@staresy1966) January 30, 2017
Powerful. Economical. And when you’re being charged £25 for a new shirt which by rights you shouldn’t have to pay for, quite sensible.
Feature:Â Clive Rose /Â Bryn Lennon / Getty
