Dimitri Payet’s short-but-sweet West Ham tenure looks like it is finally coming to an end.
The midfielder has not played since the FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester City, and club co-owner David Gold confirmed a fee has been agreed with Marseille for Payet to return to his former club.
I can now officially confirm that the Club has today agreed a fee of £25m for the transfer of Dimitri Payet to Olympique de Marseille. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) January 29, 2017
West Ham managed to get one of the best seasons of Payet’s career out of the French international, while his goal against Middlesbrough in October is arguably the best individual strike from any Premier League player this term.
They have also more than doubled their money on last season’s player of the year, who arrived from Marseille for just under £12m, but the manner of the 29-year-old’s exit has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some fans.
It seems clear that at this stage that money was not the priority for Payet, who has taken a pay-cut to return to his home country, but fans took against the player after reports that he had gone on strike to force through his departure.
And, when Payet shared a photo with a message about returning home – his first Twitter post in more than two weeks – the anger had not subsided for plenty of Hammers supporters.
On rentre à la maison pic.twitter.com/AcwO3FChYt
— Dimitri Payet (@dimpayet17) January 29, 2017
There were some very blunt replies.
https://twitter.com/AsadWHU/status/825714468210475009
https://twitter.com/ShaneBazTe/status/825714523848003584
https://twitter.com/TheMasterBucks/status/825717819815849984
Still, some West Ham fans preferred to thank Payet for the good times, rather than reflecting on the last few weeks.
https://twitter.com/djuaicgknan/status/825716350987403264
https://twitter.com/Jack_Howlett/status/825688625513893888
@dimpayet17 thanks for the memories. We are gutted you have treated your fans and our club this way. But hey life moves on without you pic.twitter.com/1psnp2aAbO
— Tom Holland (@happyhammer011) January 29, 2017
@dimpayet17 Thanks for the good times Dimi #wehadpayet #whufc
— KRJ (@kjamieson6) January 29, 2017
And Marseille fans were delighted to be able to welcome him back to the South of France.
je t'aime
— OM 🧢 (@omisapro) January 29, 2017
Welcome back 🙌🏻💫 T'es chez toi ici, Merci ! 🙏🏻 #ForzaOM
— Cεʟıпε (@InziCV) January 29, 2017
With the saga almost over and done with, both player and club can put the episode behind them and get on with their respective seasons at last.
Catch up with this week’s episode of 888sport Football Friday Live
