West Ham's Sullivan blasts Payet: He disrespected us by forcing move

West Ham's joint-chairman David Sullivan isn't pulling any punches.

Speaking after the protracted sale of wantaway star Dimitri Payet was finally completed on Sunday, Sullivan eviscerated the Frenchman in a fierce statement provided by the club.

Related: Payet gets his wish, leaves West Ham for Marseille in £25M deal

"The club would like to place on record its sincere disappointment that Dimitri Payet did not show the same commitment and respect to West Ham United that the club and fans showed him, particularly when it rewarded him with a lucrative five-and-half-year deal only last year," Sullivan said.

Payet, back on his way to former side Marseille, refused to play for the Hammers over the past month, the goodwill built up from a spectacular debut season in 2015-16 eroding in just a matter of weeks.

His relationship with supporters and fans soured - he was barred by teammates from squad dinners and bonding activities - and manager Slaven Bilic banished him to train with the U-23s to avoid disrupting the senior side.

But none of that compared to the vitriolic comments from Sullivan, who didn't hold anything back when discussing the 29-year-old's return to Ligue 1.

"I would like to make it clear that we have no financial need to sell our best players and that the decision to allow Payet to leave was in an accordance with the wishes of the manager and the interests of squad unity. To be frank, my board and I would have preferred for him to have stayed in order to make an example of him, as no player is bigger than the club," he added.

"I am confident that with the quality of the players we have brought in during January already, the squad will be stronger at the end of this transfer window than it was at the start."