It wasn’t just the England squad that provided a talking point when Roy Hodgson announced his team for the upcoming international meetings with Germany and Netherlands. Danny Drinkwater’s inclusion was welcomed by the masses, with the midfielder rightly gaining recognition for his performances in a Leicester side continuing their surprise pursuit of their first Premier League title.
Indeed, the Foxes’ displays this term have not gone unnoticed, with Drinkwater’s partner earning his first call-up across the channel. N’Golo Kante has wowed Premier League aficionados in his debut campaign in England, adjusting to the rigours of English football like a duck to water. A WhoScored rating of 7.53 is enough to secure a spot in the current Premier League team of the season alongside Mousa Dembele (7.68).
The other surprise - albeit welcome - call was the return of Dimitri Payet to the France squad. The summer signing has been a revelation for West Ham following his arrival from Marseille. A WhoScored rating of 7.71 is far and away the best of all players for the Hammers and many felt his recall to the national side - his first call up since June 2015 - was long overdue.
His stunning free-kick in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United last week will have had Didier Deschamps rubbing his hands with glee knowing that he is able to call on a player of Payet’s ability, particularly given Karim Benzema’s ongoing off-pitch allegations leaves the France boss short of experienced attacking options. Yet it was Payet’s time on the sidelines with an ankle problem earlier in the season, if anything, that highlighted his importance to Slaven Bilic’s side and his overall quality.
West Ham have a significantly better win percentage with Payet starting (52.4%) than without him (25%) in the Premier League this season and score almost a goal more per game with the Frenchman (1.81 to 0.88). Importantly though is that the Hammers draw far more games without Payet (62.5%) than with him (23.8%) and reinforces Payet’s ability to turn a game in West Ham’s favour.
His eight goals alone have won the east London side six points this term and given how tight the table is at the top, his influence in the final third is crucial. West Ham have netted a total of 45 goals in the Premier League this season, 15 of which (33.3%) have been courtesy of Payet (8 goals, 7 assists). Such a substantiated impact is all the more impressive given the Frenchman generally tends to struggle in his debut campaign for a new team.
Factor in the rigours of English football and Payet’s adaptation to Premier League football has been nothing short of superb. His quick thinking in the final third certainly saw him hit the ground running in the capital, which has helped him quickly endear himself to supporters at the Boleyn. “He’s super Slavs man, he’s better than Zidane” the Hammers supporters sing of their creative fulcrum and while he may not be in the same bracket as the current Real Madrid boss, it certainly notes how highly fans rate the 28-year-old.
While his goalscoring and creative qualities are evident, it’s the way he boosts the performances of his teammates that is awe-inspiring. Victor Moses’ career had somewhat stagnated prior to his loan move to Upton Park, while Manuel Lanzini could have seriously struggled upon his arrival, but with the pairing initially making clever runs behind the opposition defence, Payet picked out the duo with relative ease.
Only Mesut Ozil (4.3) is playing more key passes per game than Payet (3.7) in the Premier League this season, reinforcing the latter’s statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘key passes’. Not only that, but only Mark Noble (52.4) is averaging more passes than the France international (43.7) of all West Ham players. While Payet is clearly capable of creating chances at the drop of a hat, he’s experienced enough to know when to look to pry open the opposition defence and when to retain possession.
This allows West Ham to maintain pressure in the final third and lowers the likelihood of the Hammers being caught out at the back. Against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend, this weapon in arsenal will be crucial. The Blues have faltered of late with Guus Hiddink at the helm and are mired on a three-game winless streak, two of which have resulted in defeats. The Hammers have failed to win any of their last six league meetings with the Blues in west London and haven't even scored in their last 420 minutes of action at Stamford Bridge, further heightening Payet’s possible importance in Saturday’s London derby.
Yet, as Payet’s recent outings on the wing have shown, his commendable ability to cut in from the left to wreak havoc between the midfield and defence should pose Chelsea’s defence problems over the 90 minutes. Indeed, if the former Marseille man can churn out another excellent performance in the capital, West Ham have what it takes to make it back-to-back league wins against the Blues.
Payet has been a revelation for West Ham this season and his away form has been nothing short of superb. The Frenchman has been directly involved in 10 goals in 11 league appearances on the road this term, one of the best records in England’s top tier. With he expected to provide the Hammers’ creative thrust once more, I’m buying shares in Payet at anything south of 0.55 in the BuaBook match market this week.
You can buy and sell shares ahead of this weekend's Premier League action with player trading website BuaBook
