Opinion from the stands

Make no mistake about it, West Ham have a world-class talent on their hands

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Make no mistake about it, Dimitri Payet was a class apart from anyone else on the pitch on Tuesday night.

He didn’t see much of the ball in the first half but still threatened the Bournemouth goal, forcing a good save from Arthur Boruc after some fine footwork.

His sublime free kick got the Hammers back into the game, placing the ball with such deadly accuracy. His assist for Valencia’s first goal was outstanding, creating something out of nothing once again, providing that moment of genius to send the team on its way to picking up another three points.

Looking at the stats from the Bournemouth match, no player on the pitch created more chances and played more final third passes than the Frenchman. His 2nd half performance made such a huge impact that at times you had to pinch yourself in order to believe that a player of Payet’s caliber was wearing claret and blue.

Which leads to the question, is Dimitri Payet world-class? His record over the past year suggests exactly that. Despite missing seven Premier league fixtures, Payet still features in whoscored.com’s team of the season so far. His individual impact in the team is undisputed and he is easily one of the best performers in the Premier League this season.

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When Payet is at the top of his game, he is almost impossible to stop. He has produced excellent performances against the likes Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool so he certainly produces when it matters. His frosty relationship with France coach Didier Deschamps is the only reason why he does not play regularly for the French national side as there is no French midfielder out-performing him at the moment.

It is easy to get carried away when a player of Payet’s quality is doing what he’s doing but to produce such mesmerising football on such a regular basis suggests that he is one of the best around.

World class or not, the fact that he is showcasing his talents for West Ham is fantastic and long may it continue.

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1 comment

  • Aykay says:

    How deschamp can get away with not selecting payet by the french public is criminal, the guy is one of the best in the world on current form ….all the better for westham though keeping him fresh and free from the possibilty of fatigue and injury …

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