WEST HAM: PAYET WOULD BE PERFECT NOW

West Ham United are under serious threat of relegation from the Premier League this season, with David Moyes' side slipping into the bottom three after Leeds United's win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

The problem for the Hammers throughout the season has been putting the ball in the back of the net, as no side has underperformed on their xG more, with their return of 24 goals extremely disappointing considering their 34.42 expected goals in the Premier League.

Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio have just six top-flight strikes between them, while new signing Danny Ings has so far struggled to make much of an impression, finding the net just twice in the 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

However, the onus should not just be on the strikers to score goals, as the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma have also disappointed in front of goal, with the wingers currently ranked as the joint-top scorers in Moyes' squad with just four apiece.

Therefore, the Scottish manager will perhaps be wishing he had former West Ham winger Dimitri Payet, with the Frenchman producing multiple moments of magic during his time with the east London outfit.

How good was Payet at West Ham?

West Ham would sign Payet from Marseille in a deal worth £10m in 2015, with David Gold suggesting that the 28-year-old was a "world-class" player in his prime when he arrived at Upton Park, which certainly seemed a fair remark given that he had contributed a phenomenal 21 assists in Ligue 1 the season prior.

He would certainly live up to that praise in his first season with the club, registering a phenomenal 12 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, as the Hammers recorded an impressive seventh-placed finish under Slaven Bilic.

These included some incredible free-kicks, notably against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, as well as a superb solo goal against Middlesbrough.

He then notched an impressive two goals and seven assists in the first half of the 2016/17 Premier League campaign, but he was not content with London life and forced a move back to Marseille in January, which understandably left Hammers fans heartbroken.

Had West Ham managed to keep Payet happy then he could've gone on to become a legend at the club, as he is still producing the goods with Marseille at the age of 35, registering an impressive 12 goals and ten assists in just 31 appearances in France's top flight last season.

Considering Benrahma has been one of few strong performers in this West Ham side this season, but boasts just four goals and three assists in the top flight, Moyes would surely have loved to have someone of Payet's quality at his disposal. What might have been.

2023-03-19T12:38:07Z dg43tfdfdgfd