So, fan idol Payet has finally departed back to France, having proven that he truly did ‘have feet of clay.’ The manner of his departure was shocking, even in this age of over priced and over rated prima donna players. It was unforgivable take a £1m ‘loyalty’ bonus then effectively go on strike to force a move. But what puzzles me is why any ambitious player would swap the PL for the French League? I know that family reasons were cited, but it surely shows a lack of ambition on Payet’s part. And I know that the French media took great initial pleasure in seeing one of their best players move back from English football, but lets see if they are so happy when Payet agitates for his next move to China? Payet has a history of only staying approximately two seasons at most of his previous clubs and I am sure that will continue to be the case. We shall see? Regardless, West Ham were wise to include a 25% sell on clause in the transfer agreement, that could bring a financial windfall at some point.
Anyway, I am reminded of the title of Jean Baudrillard’s essay delivering a scathing critique of Michel Foucault’s philosophy, ‘Forget Foucault.’ We should similarly adopt Baudrillard’s approach and ‘forget’ Payet – he certainly deserves it. It is always difficult to replace a world class talent, but it was obvious that the situation with the player was toxic and was adversely affecting squad morale. The rest of the squad allegedly wanted Payet gone and (if true) that speaks volumes. The players have now rallied around and results (the Man City match apart) have improved.
We made two good signings in the January window that will improve the quality and depth of the squad. Fonte is an highly experienced centre-back and he will help significantly once he settles in. Similarly, Snodgrass is a quality forward, who can play right across the midfield; plus he is a dead ball specialist, who will both create and convert his fair share of chances. Unlike Payet, he also contributes industry to the midfield, as he demonstrated in the excellent win over Southampton. Additionally, Andy Carroll has hit top form at just the right time. If he can just remain fit and playing (a big ‘if’ I know) Carroll will score goals, no doubt about it. Sakho will be back some time in March and hopefully Calleri will finally start proving his quality. Another big plus is that both Kouyate and Ayew are back from the ACON and will further intensify competition for starting places. So, suddenly things are starting to look positive right across the board.
I see that the ‘Bilic to be sacked’ stories resurfaced after the Man City defeat. That seems to be a default media story every time we have a bad result. On this occasion they also made great play of the fact that Mancini was present at the match. The deduction being that Mancini was being lined up as Bilic’s replacement. Firstly, I want the club to stick with Bilic. It has been a difficult season so far, but at least it has tested Bilic and shown that he has the management skills to navigate a crisis. We are in 9th place at the moment and hopefully we will go on the clinch a top 8 finish. If we do that it will be an achievement and would represent a very good recovery from our early season troubles. Secondly, even if they decided to replace Bilic (which I sincerely hope they do not) I would not be wild about Mancini as his replacement. No, lets stick with Bilic, get a good finish this season and move decisively in the summer transfer market so that we can progress further next season.
One unwanted consequence of the Payet transfer is that it led some media outlets to start questioning the club’s ambition. There were a number of articles suggesting that West Ham had reneged on promises made to Payet about signing top players last summer. Consequently, our business next summer needs to demonstrate clearly that is not the case. That means signing two or three ‘top draw’ players to add yet further quality to the depth that the squad already possesses. Hopefully, a couple of youngsters, such as Cullen and Oxford, will also improve the strength of our squad by breaking through and securing a regular first team place next season. We live in hope!
SJ. Chandos.