Dimitri
Payet, like most French players who have graced the Premier League, has an
excellent footballing ability. However, off-field drama has been the recent
downfall of one of the league’s best players over the last 18 months
domestically and internationally. Payet, who moved to the West Ham at the start
of the 2015/16 season from Marseille for a reported £11 million, aided the
Hammers in having a stellar season, finishing 7th on the league table,
contributing 9 goals and 13 assists along the way, while also being head and
shoulders above his team-mates for playing threat and creativity down the left
wing. This form continued over into UEFA Euro 2016, where Payet was one of the
main reasons that France got to the final in their home nation, being directly
involved in 5 of Frances 13 goals at the tournament.
During
last season, despite not playing at a title chasing club, Payet was a superstar,
and the excitement he brought to the league was only bettered by Mahrez, Vardy
and co. at Leicester. He was brilliant
for fans and FPL managers to watch and at a price in the £8 million range, he
was an essential element to most squads.
How
times have changed this season?
Payet
garnered a £9.5 million FPL asking price from the get go this season and has
provided flashes of excellence that were so prevalent last season. However,
West Ham are not seeing the same success as a team this time round sitting 10th
on the table at the current time, prompting Payet to demand a move away from
the club effective immediately. The Hammers are reluctant to sell such a prized
asset of theirs unless the right offer were to present itself. However, Payet wants
to get out of London at any cost.
Over
the course of the January transfer window, Payet has been in a war with West Ham
management regarding a move. For GW21 and GW22, Payet has not featured in the
match day squad, refusing to take the field, citing that he is injured and
can’t play for the first team and going to such lengths that he will fake an
injury if he is forced to play. This disregard for the team and club has caused
quite a stir among the playing group who have lost respect for the French
international and would not welcome him back into the first-team fold if a move
away doesn’t eventuate and he remains a West Ham player.
A
dramatic return to previous employers Marseille looks the most likely
destination for the unsettled Payet, who is willing to take a wage cut to have
the move be pushed through this transfer window. However, West Ham manager
Slaven Bilic has already rejected 3 transfer offers from the French club for
the 29 year old, the last being a reported £22.5 million. The Hammers have
asked for a £30 million fee, however, a fourth offer from Marseille is
imminent, expected to be around £25 million which is likely to be accepted.
So,
what does this move mean for FPL managers?
Well,
it just might mean a whole lot of good news. Payet (£9.0) is a hefty deduction
in squad budget compared to some of his counterparts at West Ham. Although
Payet has scored 2 goals and provided 6 assists this season from 17 games with
3.1 shots per game, he hasn’t been as prolific at picking up FPL points as the
previous season, only getting double figure returns twice, GW5 against West
Brom (10), and GW7 against Middlesbrough (10), with a total of 81 FPL points,
ranking him outside the top 20 best performing midfielders. Subsequently, there
many cheaper priced options providing far better returns. Team-mate Michail
Antonio (£6.9), who has been operating from the opposite wing and also right
back this season, is the equal 8th best midfielder FPL wise with a
total of 109 points so far from his 21 appearances in the league, contributing
8 goals and 6 assists. As a result, Antonio ranks 1st among all West
Ham players for FPL points this season. Antonio also unleashes 2.9 shots per
90mins, similar to Payet, however, attempts more take-ons (4.8) per game than
Payet (4.3).
Since
the absence of Payet on the team sheet for the past 2 GWs, West Ham have had 2
impressive wins, albeit against poor opposition (Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough).
However, Payet’s attacking creativity hasn’t been missed with the midfield
workload being placed on the shoulders of Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini
along with the striker Andy Carroll. These players stepped up with team unity
seemingly sky high without the drama fuelled Payet as a distraction. Over the
course of the 2 games, Antonio recorded 5 shots, 8 from 9 aerial duels won, 4
successful tackles and 4 assists, amazingly 3 in one game against Palace,
racking up 20 FPL points in the two games. Lanzini also had 5 shots (1 goal), 7
successful take-ons and 2 assists, to go with 4 bonus, providing FPL managers
with 18 points for the two matches. The third player, Andy Carroll got back his
goal-scoring touch, scoring 3 times from 8 shots while also showing his aerial
prowess winning a staggering 14 of 17 aerial duels, gifting FPL managers with a
hefty 18 points over the two fixtures. Without Payet in the West Ham line-up,
other players are taking on bigger and more cohesive roles to pick up the
victory and 3 points, rather than all the attack going down the left wing.
Slaven
Bilic has a few possibilities after the eventual Payet departure from the club.
He can attempt to bring in another player before the window closes to fill the
void on the left side of the field, or he could promote fit again Sofiane
Feghouli to a permanent starting position. For FPL managers, Feghouli as a
nailed on starter could be very enticing. With a £5.0 price tag and a 0.7% TSB,
while operating virtually in the forward line but listed as a midfielder, how
could anyone resist selecting him. Feghouli hasn’t featured much this season
due to injury - 350 minutes of game time, however, does possess the ability to
become a new version of the Payet we saw last season. Feghouli moved to West
Ham at the start of this season on a free transfer from Valencia, where the 27
year old Algerian was a regular starter and top performer for the club, scoring
20 goals and providing 30 assists in 141 games.
If
players like Feghouli, Antonio, Lanzini and Carroll can play regularly and
remain fit and healthy and continue to link up successfully, we could see West
Hams season turn around beneficially for the club and for FPL managers, as many
Hammers players have the ability to perform well above their price tags.
Here are some possible West Ham line-ups, Post Payet - with all players available to play
For predicted line-ups and team-sheet selections
for each FPL gameweek, refer to Seb’s Gameweek Previews - Twitter (@_FFM_Seb)
By Luke Scali - Twitter (@LS_Potzi)
