West Ham have taken a massive step towards securing their Premier League survival with a 4-0 win over Norwich. But until we find a formula to produce consistently good football, we will be marred by the spectre that was 2015-16 Dimitri Payet.
If you’re not on twitter, then maybe you’re unaware of what I’m talking about, and think I’m being a bit defeatist. But West Ham fans on the social media site will have seen versions of the below stat being highlighted as to how creative the Frenchman was, and how lacklustre we have been since.
Payet was incredible for that season and backed it up at the World Cup in 2016. So much so he was included on the Ballon D’Or shortlist that year and was linked with anyone and everyone. Since he became disillusioned with the club, we’ve struggled to have any kind of uplifting streak, and the club has truly slumped.
Any search for his replacement has always lead to over expectation and under delivery. Felipe Anderson was meant to be our next creative spark but has failed to live up to the expectation. Pablo Fornals has shown growth since he joined the league but certainly isn’t there yet. Even Lanzini completely failed to shine as West Ham’s main creator when Payet wasn’t drawing the attention away.
Since August 2015, Dimitri Payet has created 28 more chances than any other West Ham player. He left in January 2017.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) July 9, 2020
So it’s up to the manager and recruitment team (if there even is one) to work out how to make that Payet stat irrelevant. How to get the cheer back into the club and start producing an actual winning formula. And if Saturday’s match tells us anything, it’s going to be about mobile attacking built around players like Bowen and Antonio. We don’t have the money or the luck to sign someone like Payet again. He was a freak of nature that season, and we can’t chase fools gold.
This summer, working on how to integrate our quickest players into the system as well as deciding if we need to sell Haller to fund further investment in the system needs to be our primary objective. We desperately need some full-backs to add quality in defence, Cresswell just isn’t good enough and Moyes doesn’t trust Masuaku.
I don’t think it requires a firesale, or mass spending on players we’re not sure will fit the system or league. What it needs is careful analysis, decisions on what areas we need to strengthen and a ruthlessness that means if you’re not capable of playing the system you’re out. No deadwood hanging on, and no luxury players that we keep thinking “Well maybe if”.
We can get back to fighting for the European scraps in the not too distant future, we can show it isn’t all about Payet. But there needs to be a genuine decision from the club hierarchy. Not just a vague promise to spend, and a hope that an assortment of decent players will do enough to keep up safe year after year.