Former West Ham United star Dimitri Payet has been slammed for piling on the pounds at Marseille.
Video could give Moyes the answers to Haller riddle
Payet is one of the best players to have graced West Ham.
But his acrimonious departure in January 2017 sullied his name with Hammers fans.
The French wizard effectively downed tools to force a return to Marseille three years ago. And 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).
Time has been a great healer for some although West Ham have struggled to replace him since.
‘Le magician’ and ‘le snake’ – the life and times of Dimitri Payet
The signing of Said Benrahma may help with that. It is hoped the Algerian international can bring a similar magic to east London.
Nicknamed Le Snake by some West Ham fans, it came as no surprise to see Payet’s belligerent attitude towards the global health crisis when it came to taking a paycut at Marseille earlier this year.
While players at West Ham and clubs across Europe agreed wage cuts and deferrals, Payet flat out refused – despite claiming he loves the club.
“Everyone has had their say on this matter,” Payet told Le Journal de l’île de la Réunion.
“My position was clear and obvious. The player that I am is also the father of a family. Like everyone, I have significant financial outlays to maintain, and engagements to keep.
“My role is to defend my interests and those of my family, without putting the club in danger, with everyone knowing how attached I am to it (Marseille).”
Payet’s miserable Champions League record
Well now Payet’s reputation has taken another battering.
When Andre Villas Boas did not name the one-time Hammer of the Year in the Marseille side that lost 3-0 to Porto on Tuesday night, it raised a few eyebrows.
His substitute appearance did not help either as Payet continued his dismal personal record in the competition by missing a penalty. Payet went AWOL at West Ham to force a return to Marseille and stated it was his ambition to play in the Champions League.
Well he helped them get there for the first time in seven years but they look set to crash out after three defeats in their opening three games.
Payet has struggled to shine on the Champions League stage throughout his career. In 18 CL games he has had 33 shots, no goals and one missed penalty to his name.
The man who lit up the Premier League with West Ham was on the bench for the 3-0 defeat to Man City the week prior too.
Former Hammer slammed for being out of shape
And it appears the reason is simply because Payet is out of shape.
That’s according to former Marseille goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta, who pulled no punches when it came to Payet (Get French Football News).
“I love this club so I criticise it,” Olmeta said (GFFN).
“I was watching it via video with my son who is in the AS Monaco youth academy, and I felt his disappointment when Dimitri (Payet) missed the penalty. It hurt me.
“The worst thing is when you see the youngsters disappointed when certain players who have lost 3-0 are still smiling. It makes me want to throw punches… And then, when you are a professional, it is not normal to weigh 100kg, that is the equivalent of not loving your club.”
Insider refutes new claim about terms of West Ham attacker’s loan deal
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
