I’m rarely surprised by the transfer speculation linking players either leaving or joining West Ham.
But even I raised an eyebrow yesterday upon reading that the club would be willing to listen to offers for Michail Antonio in the January transfer window. . . it all seemed very panicked and last minute.
I’m not suggesting that the Hammers striker has a long-term future at the club, but I do wonder what changed so dramatically between August and September to alter the club’s thinking.
Nothing I have seen from Antonio this season has surprised me. At 34 years of age, his role should really be nothing more than an impact substitute and understudy to the main striker.
Much has been made of his inability to last more than 60 minutes in the fast-paced Premier League, but this should be no surprise to anybody, least of all Antonio himself. In fact, the Jamaica international admitted as much in a preseason interview with Sky Sports.
Therefore, the fact that he is unable to play at the same ferocious pace with which he made his name is the same now as it was in the summer when the club made the decision to retain him.
The issue with West Ham’s strike force has little to do with Antonio and far more to do with the club’s summer recruitment. Niclas Füllkrug has picked up an unfortunate injury, and he will hopefully return sooner rather than later. But if the contingency plan consists of Danny Ings and Antonio, then the focus should really be on the failed recruitment rather than on a veteran striker.
Ironically, Mikey’s best games this season have been his last two against Liverpool and Brentford, and I’m certain he can still do a job. I doubt very much whether the Hammers have the funds to sign a top-level striker during the January transfer window, and I’m even less confident that anybody would pay significant money for Antonio.
Therefore, my choice would be to offload Ings, purchase a young, athletic striker with promise, and keep Antonio on the bench for the rest of the season, where he can replace Füllkrug in the last 20 minutes of games.
