What’s the story?
WWE legend Triple H, a staunch West Ham supporter has broken his silence on the Dimitri Payet saga that has engulfed the London club in the past few days.
Voicing his opinion on the French midfielder’s decision to go on strike in an interview with the LadBible, the wrestler said, “Look, Dimitri if you wanna be the bad guy come and talk to me - WWE is the place to be the bad guy so if you want to do that, I can make you a bad guy.”
In case you didn’t know...
In the lead up to their match against Crystal Palace at the weekend, West Ham manager Slaven Bilic declared that Dimitri Payet had gone on strike the club since Tuesday and had refused to play for the club as he was interested in a move to Ligue 1 club Marseille.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: Dimitri Payet hands in transfer request at West Ham
Triple H, who is now the executive vice-president of Talents, Creative and Live Events of the WWE, made his admiration for West Ham public in 2015 after being captivated by the loyalty and passion the Hammers fans had for their club.
The “Game”, in an interview to ITV in 2015 gave his reasons for supporting West Ham saying, “West Ham is probably the closest to what we do, with the passion of their fanbase and their loyalty, right? That’s the closest to what we do.”
The heart of the matter
The ongoing face-off between player and club at West Ham which could have hardly come at a worse time for the Hammers. The club’s form has been tailed off resulting in the Hammers now being only seven points off the relegation zone in thirteenth.
They have been plagued by a lack of cutting edge upfront and the problem of adapting to a new home where results have not quite gone their way.
Slaven Bilic, in his press conference on Thursday declared that the club would not be selling their star player but reports have emerged online that West Ham would decide to sell the 29-year-old if a satisfactory offer came their way.
What’s next?
In all likelihood, the next time the Frenchman takes to a football pitch, it will not be in West Ham colours. Losing Payet will be a difficult proposition for the London club as they do not possess another player on their books with such precocious footballing ability.
As things stand, West Ham look resigned to their fate and are likely to hold out until they receive a bid fit enough to buy Payet.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Dimitri Payet was one of the best attacking midfielders in the world in 2016, creating 144 chances, exceeding the tally of fellow Premier League attacking midfielders Mesut Ozil and Christian Eriksen. He also provided a league-high 15 assists in the calendar year 2016.
Also Read: Chelsea transfer rumour: Antonio Conte to launch bid for West Ham's Dimitri Payet
Slaven Bilic will miss the attacking output the Frenchman provides with his guile and ingenuity. The Frenchman’s skills with the dead ball are also an essential part of the Croatian’s tactics at West Ham. The loss of Payet will be acutely felt at the club and hopefully, they will be able to replace him adequately with the huge transfer fee they are bound to receive for the unhappy French star.
