Daily Mirror Football Writer Darren Lewis believes West Ham United have secured one of the bargain buys of the season in Dimitri Payet and feels the French star can help the Hammers secure a Champions League place.
Dimitri Payet just continues to show what a quality player he is. As far as West Ham are concerned he is the best player they have signed for a number of years . He has got to be a bargain and will only get better.
I know he has only been at the club a short time but he has got the potential to be better than Paolo Di Canio.
He can obviously score goals but he does more than that. He lifts the players around him and changes games. He has still got several good years ahead of him and is at the peak of his powers.
He is the kind of game changer that a team competing for a place in the top four needs. He is a player when a game is going no-where, he can change it. His level of consistency is outstanding.
A lot of other Premier League clubs will be wishing they had a had player like Payet. Arsenal have Ozil, but when you consider United paid £25m for Depay and Liverpool paid £30m for Firmino, you look back at Payet and realise he is an outstanding footballer.
I would say he is not as good as Tevez because he has played for some big teams and is world class, but Payet is a very special footballer.
Di Canio was over 30 when he joined the club, Payet is 28 and at the peak of his powers.
I think he is a contender for Player of the Year. But Jamie Vardy is right up there and so is Mahrez and Ozil.
But when you consider Payet has been out for two months and has come back where he left off, why not.
If Payet stays fit I can see West Ham getting into the Champions League. He reminds me of Suarez and Aguero at Man City. What those players have in common is that they can galvanise the team with their performances.
When the game is going no-where they can take it by the scruff of the neck and change it.
The facts speak for themselves. You look at West Ham's position and they are just one point off the top four.
You look at West Ham's results and the big teams they have beaten and you realise what his contribution has been.
If you look at the West Ham defence, you realise there is a big difference to last year. They are much more solid this time around and when they are not playing part well they are not losing games.
They have conceded three goals in their last eight games and even when they go behind, they have got the character to come back.
You also look at the strength in depth and even the most die-hard fan would say the club was very reliant on Andy Carroll. But they can now cope without him.
Slaven Bilic gets the club and understands them having played for them before. He understands the fans mentality and when you look at the country he has managed before, he can cope with pressure.
He is also very good at managing expectations so while it is a fact that the club are in Champions League contention and nobody can doubt that, he is the right man to make sure that nobody goes overboard.
He was asked about winning the FA Cup over finishing in the top four last week, but if the draw is kind then why not. They have obviously got a tough game up at Liverpool, but if they can get through that they have got every chance.
It will be a tough game up at Newcastle this weekend. Even though the north east club have only won one of their last seven games conceding nine goals, they showed with their performance against Manchester United during the week that they are not going down without a fight.
What helps West Ham is that most of their best results this season have come on the road and obviously inspired by Payet, they have got another chance of getting a result at St James Park.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.