Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says that the petulance and attitude shown by West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet reminds him of the days with Fernando Torres.
The Spaniard was regarded as one of the best players at Liverpool, and he was a huge fear amongst fans. However, just six months after winning the World Cup title with Spain, he decided to move away from Anfield. A £ 50 million move to Chelsea in January 2011 followed, but it was against the wishes and love of everyone concerned with Liverpool. Carragher, who was still playing, says that Torres’ behaviour upset a number of his teammates.
Payet has also had a similar impact at West Ham since his £ 10 million move from Marseille in the summer of 2015. Even though he only recently signed a new five-year contract,Payet came out of the blue to tell manager Slaven Bilic that he does not want to play for the club. The French midfielder has set his sights upon a return to Marseille, who have had three bids rejected for the player.
West Ham value the 29-year-old at £30 million while the final offer from Marseille has been around £ 22 million.Carragher says that the decision to take on the club and fans by such a high profile player is surprising.
“I saw Fernando Torres do it at Liverpool, but I’ve never been in that position and honestly don’t understand what players hope to gain.Why couldn’t Payet have just given West Ham the remainder of the campaign? There are only 18 games left, so why can’t he just put his head down, think about getting West Ham away from relegation trouble and then look for an amicable move in the summer?There are ways and means of conducting yourself and I don’t understand the logic in asking to leave a club in the middle of the season,” said Carragher.