Happier Hammers after Payet exit

West Ham skipper Mark Noble admitted life at the club has been a lot happier after the high-profile departure of Dimitri Payet.

The Hammers’ midfielder said that despite the initial disappointment at Payet’s exit, the club has pulled together and are much happier having won three of their last four in the league.

Noble said: “Obviously we were gutted. The manager, as you saw from his press conference, was obviously gutted as well.

“He had a massive impact on our team because he was a big player in the changing room. The players loved him and would do anything for him.

“It got a bit disjointed and it was a tough time for all of us. But it has become a happy place again. I think it was on the manager’s chest and mind.”

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The Hammers welcome West Bromwich Albion to London Stadium on Saturday, unbeaten in their last seven home league games against the Baggies and Noble hopes to continue their impressive run.

With the intense media furor surrounding the Frenchman’s departure, Noble welcomed the focus of Premier League matches as a coping mechanism.

He said: “Obviously we had to deal with all of that and the best way to do that was by winning games, that’s what we’ve done.”