Dimitri Payet opens up on controversial West Ham exit - ‘It wasn’t on a whim’

Dimitri Payet has opened up on his controversial exit from West Ham United.

A hugely popular figure during the club’s last season at the Boelyn Ground, the Frenchman scored 9 goals and registered 12 assists in his first year.

West Ham’s talisman at the time and a player capable of the spectacular, the mood quickly soured less than two years into his spell in east London, with former manager Slaven Bilic revealing in January 2017 that Payet no longer wished to play for the club.

A reasonably quick-fire return to former employers Marseille followed towards the end of the window, where Payet has settled once more.

West Ham themselves, after a period of lavish spending under Manuel Pellegrini, have moved on from the midfielder with David Moyes overseeing a much more balanced approach to the transfer market.

The manner of Payet’s exit led to widespread criticism from the club’s support, although the 34-year-old has moved to stress his decision to leave was based on “family reasons”.

“I left West Ham more for family reasons than sporting ones, because I’d extended my contract and still had five or six years left,” he told L’Equipe.

“I didn’t want for nothing, but to be good on the pitch, I need to be happy, and if my family isn’t happy, then I can’t be.

“I therefore made the choice to go back home. It wasn’t on a whim or a change of mind, because since I came back here, I haven’t moved, and I don’t plan on doing so. It was thought out.”

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