West Ham have announced that work has begun to replace the Dimitri Payet mural outside the London Stadium after the French winger made his huffy and hasty departure earlier in the week.
Indeed, Payet is to be painted out of Hammers history and replaced with a tribute to Andy Carroll’s seismic overhead kick against Crystal Palace…
Fearing graffiti-based retribution from fans, the club stationed a steward next to Payet’s mural for the very game in which Carroll painted his airborne masterpiece.
Now, according to the official West Ham website, a like for like swap is in the offing…
Photo: West Ham United
A few more pertinent details from the Hammers’ site:
The brand new mural will include a photo of the talismanic striker in mid-air alongside ‘Carroll 9’ and is being installed ahead of the Hammers’ crunch match with Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Located between turnstiles G and H, near the Club’s Stadium Store, the brand new poster replaces Dimitri Payet’s mural, after the Frenchman recently re-joined Marseille.
Quite fitting really – Carroll’s goal was a proper work of footballing art.