West Ham had already suffered continental elimination in the qualifying faze of the Europa League, a disappointing league campaign and a near-disastrous move to their new London Stadium home, so when Dimitri Payet downed tools mid-way through the current transfer window in an attempt to force a move away from the Hammers, it must have felt like punch in the gut.
The Frenchman, who has only been in the east of London for 18 months, was the driving force behind the club’s impressive 2015/16 campaign and had won the hearts of Irons supporters after fulfilling the potential many suspected he had after a somewhat up and down career in his homeland.
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A switch back to Marseille – whom he joined West Ham from – looks to be the most likely outcome of this saga, and with the capital outfit looking at Robert Snodgrass of Hull, it seems that if their latest bid – which is greater than Burnley’s £10m offer, as per BBC Sport – is successful it’ll be one in, one out…
Although the Scotland international may seem like a bit of a step down from the EURO 2016 finalist, his stats suggest he could be an ideal replacement. Indeed, in an underwhelming Hull side, Snodgrass has made 42 key passes and scored seven goals, all while maintaining an 84% pass success rate. Interestingly, he’s also scored two direct free-kicks, which suggests he could fill Payet’s boots in terms of dead-ball prowess.
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