West Ham are bracing themselves for a battle to keep hold of their prized asset Dimitri Payet this January, with a host of European clubs monitoring his current situation.
The 29-year-old Frenchman has recently admitted that he may be tempted by a move away from the east London club over the weekend, despite only signing a new five-and-a-half-year contract worth £120,000-a-week only 10 months ago. The Hammers now fear they will receive offers for him when the window opens in January.
When asked by a French television station about the possibility of leaving Slaven Bilic’s side during January, Payet said:
‘Leave in January? I’m asking other questions but I’m not closing the door to anything. It’s always the sports project that interests me. I work like that and until I play at a level like this, it will be the case.’
It is evident that Payet is concerned by West Ham’s poor start to the season and thus, it has raised fresh doubt over his future at the club. It is believed Bilic is now set to speak to the France international about his comments, with the Hammers boss desperate to keep hold of him.
Should Payet asked to be transfer listed this January, The Telegraph suggests West Ham will unlikely take any potential bids less than £30 million seriously.
PSG, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and former club Marseille are thought to be keeping tabs on the situation.
Should Arsenal be among the pack for Payet’s signature this January? Yes. And here’s why.
We all know Arsene Wenger has a fondness for French players, he has done in the past and still does, so there’s a box ticked already. Payet will also play alongside and flourish with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in midfield among several other French national team-mates.
The West Ham free-kick specialist is already accustomed to the Premier League and will no doubt compete for a regular spot in Wenger’s side, with his main competition coming from Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alex Iwobi.
This season, Wenger has decided to deploy Sanchez as the main front man instead of Olivier Giroud, meaning that if Payet was to sign for the Gunners, the Frenchman could become Arsenal’s first-choice on the left flank and add even more spark and creativity in midfield.
Finally, with Arsenal being a London club, h wouldn’t be unsettled and stand a chance to compete for silverware and almost guaranteed Champions League football every season.
