Dimitri Payet does not want to play for West Ham, says Slaven Bilic

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments668

Bilic angry with Payet's refusal to play

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says forward Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the Premier League club - but they will not sell him.

The 29-year-old France international has regularly been linked with a move.

It is understood the Hammers recently turned down a £19.1m bid for Payet from his former side Marseille.

"We have said we don't want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us," Bilic said. "We are not going to sell him."

Payet joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015.

He excelled in his first season with the London club, scoring 12 goals and earning a nomination for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.

In February 2016 he signed a new contract to tie him to the Hammers to the summer of 2021.

Payet has scored five goals so far this season, and the Sun reported last week that Bilic had ordered him to improve his attitude. external-link

"I expect from him to come back and to show commitment and determination to the team like the team has shown to him," Bilic said on Thursday.

"We aren't going to sell him. It's not a money issue or anything. We want to keep our best players.

"I spoke to the chairman and this is not a money issue. We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay."

Payet was left on the bench for Friday's 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester City.

"He's probably been tapped up by some clubs or whatever," added Bilic, who also confirmed that the player is not training with the first team. "That is usual at this time of year.

"But until he changes his attitude he is out of the team and he's not going to train with us."

West Ham are 13th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone, and host Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

668 comments

  • Comment posted by SheikhMohammed, at 10:55 12 Jan 2017

    Has one good season at age of 28 and thinks he's too good for the club that made him. Sad really. Lets hope he rots on the bench

  • Comment posted by The Muffin Man, at 11:03 12 Jan 2017

    If I just decided I didn't wish to do the job I am paid for then I would be sacked.

    Sadly in the world of professional football sacking Payet would be a detriment to West Ham United as it would cost them millions. So they now have the quandary of letting him stew on the bench or selling.

    Player power is completely ruining football, this little prima donna deserves a slap.

  • Comment posted by DavidD, at 10:54 12 Jan 2017

    Has a good season followed by a reasonable Euros and thinks he's brilliant. Clear attitude problem. Waste of space

  • Comment posted by Squire, at 10:54 12 Jan 2017

    One good season and they expect a move to a 'Big club' here we go again, agents at work

  • Comment posted by Lestat22, at 10:53 12 Jan 2017

    West Ham gave him a platform, it is a shame he would react like this. However, would West Ham admit this if they didn't want to sell him?

  • Comment posted by Sercs, at 10:56 12 Jan 2017

    Intrigued to see what they deem an acceptable price given their Snodgrass & Defoe bids...

  • Comment posted by ThreeWaySnowball, at 11:44 12 Jan 2017

    Anyone who thinks Payet was some sort of second coming last season either has a short memory or never saw the 99-2000 season where at Upton Park every other week it was Paolo Di Canio v the opposition. Dimitri (however good he is) isn't fit to lace the boots of Paolo, who bled claret and blue. We moved on from Paolo and we'll move on from Payet. No player is bigger than the club.

  • Comment posted by Ryan, at 11:15 12 Jan 2017

    Cant they leave him to train on his own and to play with the kids until he cracks.

    Give him 90 mins of all reserve games subbing him at the end so he gets abuse.

    Bring him on in the league in 90th min when team are winning so he gets abuse.

    List him on the bench in games miles away and make him travel via megabus with club fans who have their tickets paid for.

    Etc. etc. etc.

  • Comment posted by Fin de Cloche, at 11:24 12 Jan 2017

    Here lies a less well publicized problem caused by the exorbitantly high wages footballers are now paid.

    If one of us mere mortals was unhappy at our job, we couldn't simply decide we didn't want to work any more. We need the money. A week's wages for a PL footballer would afford one of us a cushy life for several months, maybe years.

    They don't NEED to play... there lies the problem.

  • Comment posted by lewlil, at 11:18 12 Jan 2017

    IT drives me mad, West ham take a punt on him at 28 years old buy him as an unknown from Marseille, he has a great season, did ok at the Euro's then believe all the hype and starts thinking he is bigger than the club that effectively made him.

    Wrong on so many levels.

    Unfortunately West ham have to cash in or affectively write off 15 Million quid.

  • Comment posted by CRB0308, at 12:17 12 Jan 2017

    A lot of anti West Ham comments below , but its time all club Managers stood firm and treated the over rated, over paid cry babies as what they are employees paid to do a job. There is no shame in wanting to better yourself, but play your best do your job as well as you can for the club that pays your wages and a bigger club will come in. Sorry but let him rot, then see how good his agent is.

  • Comment posted by steve42, at 12:23 12 Jan 2017

    Another case of the overpaid prima donna footballer thinking they are bigger than the game itself. What a spoilt little brat. What he needs is a good kick up the ar** and a year surviving on the minimum wage.
    Also, a big big thank you to Rupert Murdoch and SKY TV for completely ruining
    English football.

  • Comment posted by Rob, at 12:19 12 Jan 2017

    Fed up with Prima Donna Footballers living in a crazy fantasy world where it is acceptable to disregard a contract of employment.

    No other form of employment can you rock up to your employer and tell them you don't fancy doing any work for them anymore, but footballers do it far too often in order to engineer a money spinning move elsewhere.

    Pathetic!

  • Comment posted by coxon123, at 12:16 12 Jan 2017

    Frenchman finds himself in challenging circumstances. Rather than give his all to try to turn things around, he throws the towel in and goes on strike. Anyone else getting deja vu here?

  • Comment posted by U15112941, at 12:04 12 Jan 2017

    Just another greedy, selfish Premier League football player. I ask all football fans to boycott the Prem and instead head along to your local amateur club and support them.

  • Comment posted by NC89, at 11:03 12 Jan 2017

    If he is going to refuse to play or try for the team then sell him! What is the point of paying his wages & not cashing in. Get rid & reinvest the £ in someone who wants to wear the Shirt!

  • Comment posted by OGG- OrigiGoalGangsta, at 12:17 12 Jan 2017

    Only way to stop players like him is for the club to take a hit & stuff them in the reserves until the end of their contracts. Try to end their career, use them as an example.

    Agents are ruthless, so clubs should use their legal rights & chuck a millionaire into obscurity. Plenty of 'top' players around looking for an entry into the PL.

    Payet is talented but he's no Eyal Berkovic. Jog on.

  • Comment posted by wayno, at 18:52 12 Jan 2017

    Just an observation but he's looked unfit, very overweight and disinterested for months. Your team deserves better. Everton fan.

  • Comment posted by CarlosReel, at 10:52 12 Jan 2017

    I wonder how the fans feel about him now....

  • Comment posted by Moggs, at 11:00 12 Jan 2017

    Sadly, he isn't the only player who behaves in this way. Player/Agent power is the main driving force. Loyalty has no place in today's game. West Ham are between a rock and that hard place. Benching him has little value, and whilst he maintains a negative attitude, they should get rid of him asap.

Top Stories

Elsewhere on the BBC