Arsenal: Dimitri Payet Rejection Displays Lack Of Ambition

Arsene Wenger has stated that Arsenal do not need Dimitri Payet. His reasoning shows exactly why he is criticised for a lack of ambition.

Ever since Dimitri Payet refused to play for current club West Ham United, Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for the attacking midfielder. A French native, a technical, creative, intelligent player, blessed with great awareness and flair, he is a stereotypical Arsene Wenger signing.

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He has proven his quality throughout the past 18 months. Only Mesut Ozil created more chances in the Premier League last season and Payet proceeded to rack up 12 assists and nine goals in only 29 starts.

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It was the year previous that highlighted Payet as a genuine attacking threat at the highest level. Playing at the centre of a Marseille side, in only 35 Ligue 1 starts, Payet scored seven goals and assisted a further 16, establishing himself as a relentless creative force.

This season, though, he has fallen out of love with his football at West Ham. Slaven Bilic publicly stated that he refused to play for the club, hankering for a move back to France amid reports that he and his family had not settled in London. Wenger was asked about a possible move the French attacker in his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning. In no uncertain terms, Wenger rejected any chance of a possible move:

"“I expect it to be a very quiet period. We are very strong. We have many, many players who can come in. I rate Payet but I don’t need Payet because we have so many creative players. We have many players who can play in this position.”"

That is disappointing to hear. While it was never likely that Arsenal would make a genuine attempt to sign Payet, given their hesitancy to invest in the January transfer window and to acquire players at an older age – Payet will turn 30 in March – it was still a hope of mine that Wenger would do so.

One of his reasons for rejecting a move is the claim that there are already players who ‘can play in this position’. That is completely true but the key point is that they play the position to a lesser level than Payet is capable of. The likes of Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, although talented in their own right, are not the same consistent, attacking threat that Payet has provided throughout the past few seasons.

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It shows a lack of ambition derived from Wenger’s foolish loyalty to his players. We have seen this for many years; Wenger being unwilling to ever invest in players primarily thanks to a stubborn and steadfast belief in his own players, overvaluing their talents. It is a lack of ambition and it is a very sad note indeed.