Former Hammers hero Dimitri Payet says he never wanted to leave West Ham but explains he had to in a new Amazon interview.
Last season, departing West Ham captain Mark Noble expressed his regret over the way Payet’s acrimonious departure was handled on both sides.
Payet is one of the best players to have graced West Ham.
His sudden departure in January 2017 sullied his name with many West Ham fans who had adored him.
The French wizard effectively downed tools to force a return to Marseille five and a half years ago.
It came just months after he was made one of the highest paid players in West Ham’s history and received a £1million loyalty bonus payment (Telegraph).
Reports at the time revealed how Payet suddenly completely cut himself off from his teammates to force through a £25m return to Marseille.
Noble confirmed as much when speaking to fellow West Ham academy graduate Rio Ferdinand for his YouTube show Vibe with Five.
Earlier this year Payet broke his silence on his West Ham departure and admitted he took drastic action in order to return to France for family reasons.
Now Payet says he never wanted to leave West Ham but explains he had to in a new Amazon interview.
Speaking in the interview Payet explains he was enjoying playing for West Ham and in the Premier League.
Payet says he was feeling good at West Ham but could not continue in east London because it was not right for his family.
The controversial but mercurial star admits he wished he never had to leave West Ham, where he played the best football of his career. And he only moved because his family was unhappy.
When Payet broke his five-year silence on the real reason he left West Ham in an interview with L’Equipe earlier this year he explained he could not be happy if his family were not.
“I left West Ham more for family reasons than sporting ones,” Payet told L’Equipe, as translated by Get French Football News.
“To be good on the pitch, I have to be happy, and if my family isn’t happy, I can’t be. So I made the choice to go home.
“It wasn’t on a whim or a backtrack because, since I came back here, I haven’t moved and I don’t intend to. It was a thoughtful decision.”
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