The impending exodus of experienced players will leave West Ham looking very different from the side that won the Europa Conference League just two short years ago. Squad players on that day Vlad Coufal, Aaron Cresswell Lucas Fabianski and Danny Ings all exit the club next month. The end of an era.
Speaking candidly to L’equipe.fr, it is clear Michail Antonio is also considering life after West Ham, as the reality of his slow recuperation kicks in. In a long. far- reaching interview, the Hammers’ number nine admits to his fears, doubts and mental peaks and troughs following his December car crash.
Antonio in the good ol’ days
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It is very clear now that Michail is having to look at his future with a big dose of reality thrown in. However hard he works, the future of his professional career is out of his hands:
“The question is whether the club wants to extend my contract. That’s my priority, but I’m waiting. Until then, all I can do is concentrate on my recovery so that, wherever I am next year, I can play well.”
Both Graham Potter and sporting director Mark Noble have refused to be drawn on Antonio’s future. A bit of a minefield for the club awaits in deciding whether to extend, amend or simply not renew his contract – there are no perfect solutions.
You’d hope that the service Antonio has rendered would allow for a little humanity to provide some kind of conditional 12 month extension even if it is based on pay-as-you-play.
Antonio may now be realising that his future lies away from West Ham but there’s a ‘right way’ and a ‘wrong way’ to deal with it. Just for once, can our club make us proud and do it the ‘right way’.