Premier League talking points: West Ham need to start winning if they want to keep Dimitri Payet

Isaac Success proves he deserves a run leading Watford's attack and Ryan Giggs would be the perfect fit for Swansea City if they decide on a new manager, writes Thomas Woods.

West Ham United's French midfielder Dimitri Payet applauds at the end of the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Middlesbrough at The London Stadium, in east London on OcShow more

Dimitri Payet should owe West Ham United a fair bit of loyalty. Would he have made France's Euro 2016 squad if he had stayed at Marseille last season? Probably not.

His big money move to the Premier League ahead of the 2015/16 season gave him the stage and freedom to make a name for himself.

Payet was sensational last season; West Ham have already had to increase his salary to stave off interest from other clubs.

• Greg Lea: Dimitri Payet's brilliant strike halts West Ham's slide – for now

But how long is Payet going to stick around if West Ham’s struggles continue?

The French midfielder is by far West Ham’s best player. Almost everything runs through him and he dragged his side to a point in a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

At 29, payet is a late bloomer. Followers of French football will have known about Payet’s talent for a while, but he has improved with age.

West Ham nearly made the Uefa Champions League last season, but they have only one league win this term. It could end up being a lost season, or worse, a relegation battle.

Given his age and the fact that every side in the Premier League would take Payet if he was available, how long is it going to be before one of the bigger clubs puts in a big bid in for him?

And if West Ham are still struggling in January, it would be hard to blame Payet for seizing his chance and making a move.

Key to success is ...

Odion Ighalo was the sixth top scorer in the Premier League last season but he is a striker who goes on hot streaks and then has major dips in form.

Last season he scored 17 goals in all competitions for Watford, but also had two seven-game goalless stretches. In the second-tier Championship, in 2014/15, he scored 20 goals, had spells of seven and eight games without a goal and then one where he scored 14 goals in 10 games.

The problem is, this season’s hot streak has yet to materialise, and Watford are paying for his profligacy up front. Fewer than a third of Ighalo’s shots this season have been on target.

On Saturday, in the 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, Ighalo was replaced on 58 minutes by fellow Nigerian Isaac Success, who equalised seven minutes later.

In his limited time on the pitch this season, Success has hit more than half of his shots on target. Abu Dhabi fans will remember Success from the 2013 Under 17 World Cup, which Nigeria won.

He may well just be a younger, more efficient version of Ighalo and deserves a chance to play regularly.

Giggs’s time is here

Francesco Guidolin may well get sacked by Swansea City this week, with British media reporting that club officials have already sounded out potential replacements.

One of those candidates is said to be Ryan Giggs.

Swansea and Giggs are the perfect fit. Mark Hughes, Giggs’s former Manchester United and Wales teammate, forged his reputation in his first club managerial role at Blackburn Rovers, where a mixture of fine coaching and savvy recruitment took the club to two consecutive top-five finishes.

Giggs could do the same thing under similar circumstances at Swansea.

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