Marseille winger Dimitri Payet has insisted that he does not have to "justify" his conduct this month as he forced through his transfer away from West Ham United.
The 29-year-old went on strike as the transfer window opened and outlined his intention to return to the Ligue 1 side, prompting outrage from his teammates and Hammers fans.
Payet completed a £25m switch to the south of France yesterday and, talking to reporters at his unveiling, he remained defiant over the furore of his transfer saga.
"I do not have to justify my behaviour to West Ham. Not at all. I was not happy and needed to return home," he said. "I spoke to the manager, Slaven Bilic, face to face.
"Going back to Marseille is a personal choice. I was no longer feeling well at West Ham, I needed to return to my roots. I will speak about this, but not now. I would prefer to savour this moment. I will speak about those things when the time is right. I lived an exceptional year at West Ham. It didn't end in the way I would have wanted it to. I have a great memory of the fans of the club.
"If I was in this for the money, I would have been in a different country a very long time ago. It is not my motivation. This has been a sacrifice financially but money doesn't drive me.
"I am very happy to return here. It's my home. It's what I wanted. I want to thank everyone that made it happen. They did everything to make it all possible. I was clear from the start I wanted to return and take part in the project. I was missing France and Ligue 1."
Payet could make his debut for Marseille tonight when they welcome Lyon to the Stade Velodrome in the Coupe de France.
Neil Wilkes
