Not many people knew who West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet was before he arrived in the Premier League this season. Any fan who watches the league knows him now for his outstanding ability on the ball – especially from free kicks.
The 29-year-old signed a five-year deal with the Hammers when he was bought from Marseille for a fee of approximately £10m. “If he was 22 he would be £30m plus,” said co-chairman David Sullivan at the time.
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It is safe to say that he was not exaggerating when he said that. The French midfielder has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season – nine in the Premier League. If not for an injury that saw him miss two months of the season, he might well have been a strong contender for the PFA Player of the Year award in his EPL debut season.
Payet’s inspiring performances under new manager Slaven Bilic have seen the London club move up to sixth in the table with their sights firmly set on a possible top-four finish and the Champions League. They are currently three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with seven games to play.
The midfielder’s deadly accuracy from free kicks has already seen two ‘ Goal of the Season’ contenders this season. Payet has already scored against Bournemouth, Blackburn Rovers, a delightful set piece against Manchester United that had David De Gea scrambling and last week against Crystal Palace that looped back into goal from an unbelievable angle.
What is Payet’s secret to taking free-kicks?
Speaking ahead of a crucial London derby against Arsenal at Boleyn Ground , Payet was asked about his much-talked-about free-kicks and he revealed a startling fact. Payet has been practising all season until he scored – after which he stopped practising!
”I worked very hard on taking them earlier in the season up until the Bournemouth game when I scored,” Payet explained.
“Since that game I have not been practising as I have been happy with the way I am hitting the ball.
“So I am carrying on with that technique and now I just take a few before each game when I am warming up.”
Arsene Wenger looked into Payet many times
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has always had an eye for French talent. But he revealed that Payet’s inconsistency in his early years was an issue.
“He was a top talent, always,” Wenger said. “But [he] had periods of being up and down.
“I’ve looked at him many times. I’ve known him for a long time. He played at Saint-Etienne and we watched him many times.
“I think he has all the attributes to be a top player, which he is, but he’s 29-years-old already. He’s matured a lot and come back into the national team, which shows he was more consistent.”
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