‘Brutal’: Dimitri Payet shares the real reason why he left West Ham

Marseille ace Dimitri Payet has opened up on his acrimonious exit from West Ham United in five-and-a-half years ago.

The 35-year-old was speaking to reporters ahead of Marseille’s Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur tonight.

READ…£20 million West Ham man has been so poor this season, Moyes is making things worse

Payet was absolutely outstanding during his 18 month spell with the Hammers, after moving to Upton Park in the summer of 2015.

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Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

The now 35-year-old was an instant hit at West Ham. During 59 games for the Hammers, Payet racked up 15 goals and 22 assists (Transfermarkt).

He lit up Upton Park and the London Stadium with numerous displays of magical genius.

Payet left West Ham to return to Marseille in January 2017 for around £25 million (BBC), however, after apparently falling out with Hammers boss at the time Slaven Bilic.

It was an acrimonious exit with many West Ham fans feeling incredibly bitter towards the Frenchman. Much time has passed now though, and perhaps people will now start to understand why he left…

Dimitri Payet makes West Ham exit admission

The 38-capped France international spoke to reporters last night and responded when asked why he left West Ham in 2017, as quoted by Football.London:

Photo by Jonathan Bartolozzi/Olympique de Marseille via Getty Images

“Sure, the Premier League helped me to realise a dream, I suppose. To play in the Premier League and to play in England because everyone dreams about playing here, particularly now when you look at the teams who are playing in the Premier League, it is getting stronger and stronger and a really tough league to play in. I spent 18 months full of emotions, excitement after Euro 2016 but no I don’t have any regrets. It was a choice I made, a personal choice and a family-based choice as well. Since I left West Ham I have stayed at Marseille, I haven’t gone to any other club and don’t intend on going to any other club, so it wasn’t leaving for the sake of leaving. It was a personal decision, a family decision and yeah, it was a pretty brutal break I suppose when I left, that’s true, but I hope over the course of the years West Ham fans have come to understand why I left, I would certainly like and hope to think that.”

So it seems like Payet just wanted to go home to be close to his family.

That may well have angered Bilic, because the Frenchman was such a vital player for him after all.

It is what it is though.

Hopefully the West Ham fans have no hard feelings toward Dimitri Payet any more. Too much water has passed under the bridge.

One thing’s for sure, we’ll all be cheering the Frenchman on tonight against Tottenham!

Read other West Ham news:

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