West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady says Dimitri Payet's departure is "bad business" in reality.
The France international midfielder pushed for a departure from West Ham in the January window and after a protracted period of bids from his former club Marseille, the Hammers relented and allowed him to return to his homeland.
He was sold for what is regarded as a cut price fee of about £25 million, although in ideal circumstance his true value could have seen West Ham garner almost double that figure.
Brady was critical of Payet's behaviour in trying to push for a move, outlining her thoughts in her column in The Sun.
"Dimitri Payet would have become a legend to every Hammers supporter. But he’s a dead loss instead," she said.
"Once Slaven Bilic realised the damage Payet was inflicting to morale, we did the only thing that made sense. We sold him for as much as we could, to the only club who wanted to buy him."
She adds that the fee received for Payet from Marseille is 250% higher than the reverse deal in the summer of 2015, nevertheless Brady doesn't regard it as a great deal for West Ham.
"On paper, good business; in reality, bad business. But other than treat a man like a naughty schoolboy — and with no legal right to force him to play — we took the only sensible option available," she said.
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