Dimitri Payet does not want to play for West Ham, says Slaven Bilic
Last updated on .From the section Football
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.
"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
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.
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.
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.
Wrong on so many levels.
Unfortunately West ham have to cash in or affectively write off 15 Million quid.
Also, a big big thank you to Rupert Murdoch and SKY TV for completely ruining
English football.
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!
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.