Dimitri Payet has lifted the lid on his toxic exit from West Ham after revealing he felt like he was regressing as a player this season at the east London outfit.
The France international left West Ham in the January transfer window to rejoin Marseille just 18 months after leaving the French outfit to move to the Hammers.
Payet refused to play towards the end of his time at West Ham and has now claimed he was ‘bored’ and felt like he was getting worse by staying with Slaven Bilic’s side.
“I had no desire to play in the lower reaches of the Premier League,” Payet told L’Equipe, via the London Evening Standard. “The defensive system that we put in place did not give me any pleasure. With a 5-4-1 in front of our box, I could have had all the freedom in the world, so it’s difficult for me to explain.
“You could say that I was p***** off, yes. I worked hard in every game without taking any pleasure. You could say I was bored. I had had contact with Marseille and most notably with [coach] Rudi Garcia, who had a philosophy that I knew well. The choice was quick. If I waited six months I would lose six months.”
The 29-year-old is still yet to hit it off back in France but has played a direct hand in three goals in their last two matches. Not only that, but Payet’s last game in England was at the start of January and still only Christian Eriksen (78) has provided more key passes than the controversial Frenchman in the Premier League this season (74).
For more stats on Dimitri Payet, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
