**Former West Ham player Michail Antonio has hit out at former manager Graham Potter in a recent interview.**
Antonio, who turns 36 at the end of the month, recently criticised Potter for getting “rid of a lot of the senior players” in the West Ham squad.
Antonio departed West Ham in the summer after a decade in East London. During his time, he scored in the last game at Upton Park, won the UEFA Conference League and became the Irons’ all-time top Premier League goalscorer.
The Jamaican international never actually played under Potter. His last game for the Hammers came in December 2024, shortly before a devastating car crash – but enough about the appointment of Potter in January 2025.
The injuries Antonio sustained from his road accident meant he never played for West Ham again, and he has recently hit out at the 50-year-old for letting him go without giving him a chance.
“Being at the club for 10 years, I would have thought they’d give me an opportunity to prove myself. I felt it was pushed by Graham Potter,” remarked Antonio.
The Irons’ former No. 9 also called out Potter’s decision to release West Ham’s senior players last summer, citing the departures of Aaron Cresswell, Vladimír Coufal and Edson Álvarez.
Antonio certainly has a point, and I believe his sentiment echoes that of many fans. When you look at how well Coufal and Cresswell have played in their respective leagues this season, the decision to let both go for free last summer appears nonsensical.
Additionally, the loan departure of Edson Álvarez would be a much larger issue if Nuno Espírito Santo hadn’t assembled such an able midfield over the last few months.
Significant damage was done to the squad during Potter’s tenure, and it seems as though character and leadership are qualities that this squad have only recently adopted following the arrival of Nuno’s January signings and assistant coach Paco Jémez.
As for Antonio himself, like Cresswell, he certainly should have been given a testimonial after everything he gave to the club.
However, I also don’t believe he would have made a big impact had he been given a chance following his injury. He has proven managers and fans wrong before, but he was in his mid-thirties and declining well before the accident that ended his West Ham career.
Of course, it was sad to see how things ended. I’m sure Antonio would have wished to go out on his own terms and I have a disdain for Graham Potter after his disastrous tenure as West Ham boss. But after such a significant injury, I don’t blame him or the Hammers for letting Antonio go. There is a reason why he is now playing in Qatar after nearly a year without a club.
Antonio makes a lot of fair points, and I can understand why he so vehemently backed himself. And while I agree that Potter severely damaged West Ham, given the striker’s circumstances, I don’t think “giving him a chance” would have amounted to much.