Since the time Dimitri Payet joined West Ham United from Marseille, he has regularly made the headlines but is lately making it to the front pages for all the wrong reasons. At the time of his arrival to Boleyn Ground, he was not a superstar in world football but he’s changed that perception by putting in impressive performances and taking his career to new heights. However, the 29-year-old’s rise to stardom has come back to haunt the London club in recent weeks.
Slaven Bilic did so well to keep his main man in the last transfer window, after a brilliant season for the Hammers but it seems like Payet’s time at the club is fast coming to an end. He has been on strike for almost two weeks now and the ideal solution for both parties now would be to part ways.
West Ham United should start looking for replacements for their French maestro. The job to replace a player like Payet is a tough one, but it is better to have a player who is committed to the club rather than an unhappy world beater.
So, here are five possible replacements for the French superstar:
#5 Robert Snodgrass
Hull City have found life back in the Premier League quite hard and look to be in the running for an immediate drop to the Championship. You need to be a special player to impress the audience when the whole team around you are struggling to do well but Robert Snodgrass has done exactly that.
The Scottish international winger has been a livewire in the Hull City shirt this season and without him, things would have been much worse for the struggling Tigers. 9 goals and 3 assists in 26 games in all competitions is quite a remarkable figure for a wide player.
Snodgrass might not be a dazzling dribbler like Payet but is direct and can put in quality crosses. Every time he is on the ball, he gives us an impression that he can test the keeper with a stunning piledriver or can unlock the backline with a defence-splitting pass.
#4 Rachid Ghezzal
West Ham fans will be well-known to the name of the Algerian wing wizard who is now plying his trade for Olympique Lyonnais. The 24-year-old was a target for a number of Premier League sides back in the summer and the Hammers were also in that list, as per the rumour mill.
A player whose contract runs out with the Ligue 1 outfit in the upcoming summer transfer window, Ghezzal could be up for sale for a bargain and Bilic should definitely try to lure him to the London Stadium.
Premier League clubs Everton and Arsenal are in the race for Ghezzal as per reports, but the East London club can offer him a key role at the club which the two bigger clubs cannot. A quick and tricky winger who can also play centrally and still only 24, Ghezzal would be a brilliant signing at the Olympic Stadium.
#3 Gylfi Sigurdsson
A player rich with Premier League experience, Sigurdsson is one of the very best footballers in the division outside the top clubs. The darling of Swansea City fans has been as productive as ever this season, but the club as a whole have failed to impress.
Barring Swansea’s inspiring win against mighty Liverpool last week, the Welsh club still needs to come up with quite a fight to stave off relegation by the end of the season which makes it easier for West Ham to lure the poster boy of Icelandic football away.
Sigurdsson may not have the dribbling skills of Payet, but his productivity is unquestionable. One of the best set-piece takers in the Premier League, the experienced Sigurdsson is a good link between the midfield and attack and has an eye for a pass.
#2 M’Baye Niang
As per recent reports, West Ham have registered their interest in AC Milan starlet M’Baye Niang. The move makes a lot of sense, although we are unsure whether Milan would want to part ways with the 22-year-old.
The Rossoneri are enjoying an impressive season this time out and Niang has played an influential part in that, but as of late, he has not got regular starts. Milan could probably like their promising young attacker to get some valuable experience on loan and it would do the job for West Ham too.
Niang is predominantly a left-sided wide forward but can also play on the right or up front on his own. West Ham have struggled for goals in the absence of injury-prone Andy Carroll, and Niang can prove to be a solid addition, therefore, thanks to his incredible versatility.
Still only 22, the sky is the limit for the French wonderkid, and he could prove to be a big success at the London Stadium in the long run if the Hammers sign him on a permanent basis.
#1 Ivan Perisic
Well, this would be some replacement! Ivan Perisic has been linked recently with a move to West Ham United and he is a player who can ideally replace the attacking prowess of Payet.
The Croatian is more of a direct goal threat and has always been productive for whichever club he has played for over the years. This season, he has found the back of the net 7 times from 20 Serie A outings for underperforming Inter Milan.
A player rich with top-level experience with clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Inter Milan and a key player of the Croatia national team, Perisic would be a dream signing by the East London club. The former Croatia boss is right now the manager of the Hammers which is why this deal does not seem that unlikely too.
