Dimitri Payet arrived at West Ham in the summer of 2015 on a 10.7 million pound transfer from Marseille, where he was an above average but not star player. The subsequent 12-goal season from the Frenchman returned him into to the French national team and made the 30-year old arguably the signing of the season as West Ham finished seventh above the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

Another attacking midfielder brought in that summer was Manuel Lanzini. And after the Frenchman’s unprofessional departure last January, Lanzini is primed to remove the sour taste left in Hammers fans’ mouths left by Payet.

The 24-year old Argentine scored seven goals for West Ham in his first season with the club while he was on loan from UAE club Al Jazira. His loan was made permanent last summer and, like the rest of the club, he struggled in the first half of the season. Once Payet abruptly left London in January, Lanzini stepped into his place as primary playmaker and thrived. The Argentine scored five goals, including a winner against Spurs, and created another pair en route to being named the club’s Players Player of the Year.

Lanzini made his international debut earlier this summer in a friendly against Brazil before making his full debut in the following 6-0 victory over Singapore. A player of Lanzini’s quality could be playing for Champions League clubs but the season he could potentially have with the Hammers should excite fans across the Premier League. West Ham have yet to make a signing other than Pablo Zabaleta, so the keys to the offense appear to be firmly in Lanzini’s hands.

What Dimitri Payet did for West Ham in his debut season gave Hammers fans the excitement they haven’t had in years, especially from an individual player. Manuel Lanzini can be just as good if not better than Payet, as the 24-year old has plenty of time to get better and if he can become a recurring figure in the Argentina national set-up, Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria can certainly teach him a few tricks.