After recovering from an injury, Dimitri Payet returned with a bang. Yesterday, London's West Ham was trailing against Bournemouth in the middle of the second half, but the midfielder then scored a goal, made an assist to Enner Valencia, and inspired the "Hammers" to a 3-1 victory.
This was his first match since the November 7th game against Everton, but it seemed like the 28-year-old footballer had never been gone.
Having moved to the English capital for £10.75 million from Marseille in the summer, Payet has scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 13 games.
While these numbers may not seem very impressive, the player's influence is evident in the team's performance, which climbed to fifth place in the Premier League yesterday.
When Payet is on the field, West Ham scores an average of 2 goals per game, compared to just 0.9 when he is absent. Additionally, with the Frenchman, the "Hammers" average 1.8 points and 53.8% of wins, while without him, these numbers drop to 1.4 and 25%.
Moreover, under Slaven Bilic, Payet's side controls the ball for 47% of the playing time, which decreases by almost 5% without him.
When the coach compared Payet to Arsenal's Mesut Ozil earlier this month, many smiled ironically, but looking at the chances both players create in each game, the comparison does not seem unjust.
In the Premier League, the German leader creates an average of 4.4 opportunities for his teammates, while Payet is right behind him at 3.7.
Having such a captain should be a source of joy for both West Ham fans, coaches, and club officials.
"What I admire most about his character is what all true champions possess," praised Bilic. "When he makes a mistake - I'm talking about training now - he goes crazy and gets mad at himself, which turns him into a true leader."
