The crazy stat that'll leave West Ham fans pining for Payet

West Ham’s relationship with Dimitri Payet was short yet sweet. The Frenchman left for Marseille under a cloud, but he was wonderful to watch for 18 months. Indeed, between the time he joined the Hammers and then returned to the French side, only Mesut Ozil (197) made more key passes than Payet (193) in the Premier League. 

Returns of 11 goals and 18 assists in the Premier League had West Ham fans dreaming of regular European football at the London Stadium, yet it wasn’t to be for both parties as Payet pined for a return to the south of France, a wish that was finally granted in January 2017. Since his exit, West Ham haven’t had a player as technically gifted as the France international, with the club-record capture of Felipe Anderson the closest to mirroring his creative qualities. 

Even then, though, the Brazilian’s inconsistency means it’ll take some time before Anderson can get to the same level of Payet, even if at all. That isn’t to say that West Ham have been devoid of technically gifted attackers between Payet’s exit and Anderson’s arrival. Manuel Lanzini had looked as he was more than ready to shoulder the creative burden in the wake of the Frenchman’s return to the Velodrome, but a chequered injury past culminating in a cruciate ligament rupture in June that forced him out of the World Cup has put that on the back burner for now. 

A January return is mooted, yet even then it’ll take some time for Lanzini to get up to speed before the season draws to a close, which is a shame for Hammers fans as, last season, he and Marko Arnautovic had struck up a fine understanding in the final third that saw them secured a 13th-placed finish. In the arrivals of Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, not to mention the emergence of Grady Diangana, there is less pressure on Lanzini to rush his recovery and in the process, this lessens the risk of a potential recurrence of the injury. 

Nevertheless, Manuel Pellegrini will reap the rewards from having the Argentina international fit and available for the second half of the season. He has created more goalscoring chances (97) than any other West Ham player since the start of the 2016/17 Premier League season, after all. Second on that list? Payet, with 74. Yes, despite returning to Marseille almost two years ago, Payet’s 74 key passes from 18 top-flight outings is the second best return of all Hammers players since the start of 2016/17. For context, Lanzini has made 62 appearances in that time while left-back Aaron Cresswell (58) rounds off the top three creators having made 67 appearances. 

Summer signing Anderson is trying his best to make up the ground, having created 23 goalscoring opportunities from 12 league outings this term, but Payet’s return and the lack of consistent competition for the figure in east London, almost 24 months after his last Premier League appearance, is staggering. Of course, West Ham will have liked nothing more then to have kept Payet in the capital, but his insistence on leaving London for a return to France meant their hands were tied and it effectively spelled the end of his time with the Hammers. 

The summer prior to his departure, where Payet thrived for France at Euro 2016, could well have been the end for the relationship for player and club as Real Madrid supposedly made their interest in the creator public after a superb showing in the tournament. From there on out, however, the bond was always going to be strained before it eventually broke in January. As mentioned, it was a short but sweet affiliation between the two parties that brought about brilliant highs, with his stunning free-kick against Crystal Palace particularly memorable.  

While it was a relationship that ended on a sour note, there was no denying Payet’s class in east London. Where West Ham would be now had he still played for the team, it remains to be seen, but given the number of goalscoring chances he has created since the start of 2016/17 compared to his Hammers teammates, it is likely they’d be closer to the European spots than lower mid-table, particularly if he’d struck up as fine a partnership with Arnautovic as the Austrian did with Lanzini last season.