West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic says he is not surprised to see Dimitri Payet thrive after scoring twice in Monday night’s first home Premier League victory, 2-0 against Newcastle United.
The summer signing thrilled with a ninth minute opener which he placed perfectly in the top corner of Tim Krul’s net from 20 yards before adding a second after the break, tucking home after debutant Victor Moses had crashed against the crossbar.
Speaking to the Hammers’ website afterwards, the Croatian said: “He is fantastic but he doesn't surprise me.
“The only thing that surprised me is that he gelled straight away but then we have great lads with a good character in the team. Every new player is welcome straight away.
“I know Dimitri and I wanted to take him to Besiktas last year but it was impossible. He is a brilliant player and he is not just a player who decides a game with his goals, but he is also great at keeping possession and making all the other players better.
“It is not just him but if you ask me about him he is a brilliant player and that is why we got him.
“He did the same in training yesterday (with a wonder strike) and also scored a similar goal against Leicester. We need that extra type of player and if he does that we are going to be good. But the whole team played well tonight.”
Bilic handed a debut to just one of his three transfer deadline day arrivals, Chelsea loanee Moses, and the winger was impressive down the left-hand flank for the Hammers.
Assessing the former Crystal Palace and Wigan Athletic attacker’s impact, Bilic said: “It was some sprint [for the second goal] and that is what pleases me the most.
“We knew that Victor has the quality. His fitness was the only thing on paper.
“He played pre-season for Chelsea but has not played in the Premier League. But he told me he was okay. I didn't know he would last that long. There was no need to take him off and he is a quality player.”
