Dimitri Payet on his controversial £25million West Ham exit: ‘I know how to be a d***head’
French winger strung Slaven Bilic along: 'When I want to p*ss everyone off, I do it- it's a way for me to be heard'
DIMITRI PAYET admits he was a complete d***head in the build-up to his controversial exit from West Ham.
The brilliant wide man, famed for his spectacular ability to score from free kicks, was eventually sold to former club Marseille for £25 million in January.
The Frenchman's move ended a sorry saga that left a bitter taste in the mouths of Hammers supporters.
Payet's attitude problems led to manager Slaven Bilic freezing him out of the first-team squad.
But the reigning Player of the Season eventually got his way, albeit after some rather petulant, childish and irritating behaviour.
Now he says: "I know how to be a d***head. It’s one of my specialities. It’s a little game.
"When I want to p*ss everyone off, I do it. My managers understood that: when I sulk, they talk to me.
"It’s a way for me to be heard. Those who know me play along, and, in the end, it goes well."
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Payet, a welcome £10.5 million signing from Marseille in the summer of 2015, claimed his decision to leave was based on the direction in which the Hammers were heading.
"I left for many reasons, but the main one was about football," he told So Foot.
"West Ham’s objectives weren’t the same as the last season, and I felt in danger for my football and my chances with the national team.
"I had a choice to make."
In the aftermath of Payet’s departure, West Ham boss Bilic publicly criticised the 30-year-old for his poor attitude.
His behaviour was certainly in stark contrast to that of his arrival in the Premier League when he unleashed a string of sensational displays.
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Magnificent free-kicks, sublime individual pieces of skill and world-class deliveries were just a few of the many traits brought by the French international to Upton Park.
And nine goals and 12 assists in the Premier League earned him a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year award as well as the title of West Ham’s Player of the Season.
That was then...
Mind you, after three straight losses this season and with Bilic's job under severe threat, Hammers' fans would surely fancy a bit of Payet now!
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