Marseille attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet claims that West Ham’s defensive style of football this season forced him to ask for a transfer in January.
West Ham and the Frenchman were at loggerheads during the January transfer window after Slaven Bilic revealed that the France international had refused to play for the Hammers.
The Hammers were initially adamant that they wouldn’t allow Payet to force his way out of the club, but finally caved in after the situation became irredeemable towards the end of the winter window.
Payet was sold to Marseille for a fee of around €30m and the Frenchman has finally opened up about the reasons behind his departure from the club in January.
The Frenchman said that he was not enjoying the role or the football that West Ham were playing this season and feels if he had waited until the summer, he would have wasted precious time in his career.
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The former Hammer told French sports daily L’Equipe, when asked why he didn’t wait until the summer to ask for a transfer from West Ham: “I didn’t want to play my last role in the Premier League.
“Our approach to the games, the defensive system in place – I didn’t like them.
“With a 5-4-1 formation, I was not getting freedom and it was getting difficult to express myself.
“I played the games without any pleasure and once I had this contact with Marseille, especially with Rudi Garcia, who has a philosophy that I know well, it was an easy decision.
“If I waited for six months, I would have lost six months.”
The 29-year-old has already made eight appearances for Marseille this season, scoring three goals in the process.
