Last Premier League season was all about the underdogs, Leicester went on to do the impossible by winning the title, while the likes of Tottenham and West Ham United had an excellent season themselves. West Ham who finished 7th on the table, will be moving to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford this summer, which will automatically lead to an increase in revenue. Almost twelve months ago West Ham United signed Dimitri Payet from Marseille for £10.7million, a figure many believed was an absolute steal by the time Christmas came around. Under Slaven Bilic, Payet has become the sparkling jewel in West Ham’s crown. The 29 year old midfielder is currently taking Euro 2016 by storm with his French national team, where he has proven to be France’s best player till now.
Payet has scored in both of France’s opening Group A victories to help the hosts qualify for the knockout stages with a game to spare. With the world’s attention completely focused on the tournament, many clubs across Europe will be monitoring Payet, who on his current form can add instance quality to any team he chooses to play for. Real Madrid in particular are monitoring the player, after they were alerted of his abilities following a stellar first season in the Premier League. Having handed Payet a new £125,000-a-week contract in February, West Ham have insisted they will not sell him for any price this summer. However that will not stop Madrid making a move if Zidane feels he can be a valuable addition to the team. Therefore we look at three players who can replace the Frenchman at West Ham if he decided to leave.
James Rodriguez
With Madrid emerging as the front runner to sign Payet this summer, that is if the Frenchman decides to leave the London club after just one season. The Spanish club will be looking to off load the 2014 World Cup golden boot winner after an inconsistent season at the Santiago Bernabeu and they could use Columbian midfielder in a swap deal with West Ham with Payet coming the other way. Rodriguez is still one of the most highly rated midfielders in Europe and is capable creating those moments of magic from the centre of the park.
Mathieu Valbuena
Maybe the solution to replacing Payet is getting another Frenchman who is very adept at pulling the strings from the middle and adding a lot of quality to an attacking unit. Valbuena who is currently not in the French squad, has had his fair share of controversies last season but still possesses the skills and the energy to create goal scoring opportunities for those around him.
Roberto Pereyra
This Juventus midfielder has been linked heavily to West Ham off late, after falling down the pecking order at his current club. Pereyra showed his exceptional ability and talent last season, where he made 52 appearances in which he scored 6 goals and grabbed 4 assists. If the Argentina playmaker can keep that same level of fitness and performance, then he surely will be a huge success in London.