Marseille showing disrespect with low offers for Payet
It’s never nice to have a striking player at West Ham. It’s even worse when the club who caused the issue are intent on disrespecting the Hammers.
West Ham picked up Payet when many of the top clubs weren’t interested. They felt him too inconsistent, and so did the French national team. But the Hammers picked him up and together they helped each other out. It was all looking good for both. Until Marseille decided they would try him get Dimitri Payet back without contacting his current club first. (Apparently)
All good fun, completely illegal but it’s fairly commonly done now. Many teams get in touch with agents first, and then try and negotiate with the club. There were even allegations West Ham did it last year with Payet, but then they stumped up the goods. They paid the fee Marseille wanted and got the deal done.
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Everyone knew that the East Londoners would want at least £30m for their French playmaker, if there was any deal done at all. But by coming in at a lower rate, they have disrespected the Premier League club and the way business is done.
What Next?
There are a few options, as far as I can see, as to how this deal proceeds.
- Marseille stump up the cash. This is thought to be around £30m, and a fair price for a player who was ranked in the top 20 players in the world last year. He may be ageing but his ability is worth the cash. West Ham will want to sell him due to his disruptive behaviour, and that will solve the issue.
- West Ham sell to someone else. Payet has many teams who are possibly interested, for sure Marseille aren’t the only ones. If another club sees their opportunity a bid is likely and the player will move on. The board are not keen to sell to another Premier League club, and will resist most attempts to sell.
- West Ham refuse to sell. Another simple outcome. They do not need the money, and whilst it is annoying to have a player around that doesn’t want to play whilst on a huge wage it is worth it to prove that the players don’t have all the power. If the board don’t see the money they need, there won’t be any selling.
I think that Payet will leave this window if the window comes in. The board aren’t stupid and will take the money as long as it doesn’t impact the teams standing. But it’s now up to Marseilles.