**Former West Ham forward Michail Antonio is reportedly on the verge of a move to Qatar. The 35 year old looks set to join Al Sailiya on a short term contract.**
The Jamaican international has been without a club since leaving West Ham last summer. His exit brought the curtain down on a 10 year spell in claret and blue in which he made 323 appearances for the club and became the Hammers leading Premier League goalscorer, an impressive legacy, even with Jarrod Bowen drawing ever closer to snatching his record, for someone who spent almost 20 matches of his early West Ham career at right back.
A near fatal car crash at the end of 2024 has left Antonio’s career on pause. What is most impressive is after suffering multiple leg fractures, which required surgery and resulted in three weeks in hospital, despite being in his mid thirties and coming towards the twilight of his career, Antonio returned to training within just six months.
The forward has not played a competitive minute since the accident. His only minutes have come via a handful of substitute appearances for Jamaica at last summer’s Gold Cup as well as two appearances for West Ham’s U21 side.
Since his West Ham exit, Antonio has held talks with the likes of Brentford and a number of Championship sides including Leicester City and most recently Charlton Athletic. Within the last couple of days, Portsmouth manager John Mousinho revealed that Pompey had also considered a move for the 35 year old.
It may have come as a surprise to Hammers fans to have seen the news that broke on Thursday. These reports broke the same day as another former Hammer and key figure in David Moyes’ tenure sealed a move to the Middle East, with ex-West Ham captain Kurt Zouma joining Al Wasl in the UAE Pro League. Perhaps a timely reminder of just how much of the Conference League squad has faded out and moved on to pastures new.
Antonio is on the verge of joining Al Sailiya, who currently sit 10th in the Qatar Stars League. The Qatari side have six games of their 2025/26 campaign remaining. The former Hammer will sign for the Qatari side until the end of the season. A number of reports indicate an official announcement is due within the next few days.
Whether his move to the Middle East is with the view to a longer contract after the end of the current season remains to be seen. If Antonio rebuilds his confidence and gets that match sharpness back in his legs, it will certainly be interesting to see whether he opts to return to the English game, perhaps at Championship or League 1 level, or sees out the remainder of his career abroad.
Regardless of the level, seeing Antonio make his long awaited return at club level will be a special moment for West Ham fans everywhere. The Hammers faithful will be wishing him every success in this new chapter of his career.
His bravery, attitude and perseverance through all that he has endured is a testament to his character. Seeing him back on the pitch at club level will feel like a victory itself, a well earned reward for what he has spent almost 15 months working towards.