Latest

Are West Ham fans happy about this contract news?

|
Image for Are West Ham fans happy about this contract news?

We’ve done well to get many of our main players to commit to extended periods of time at the club, with Mark Noble, James Tomkins, and Winston Reid all putting pen to paper to ensure a lengthy stay at West Ham and commit to being Hammers as we move to the Olympic Stadium. Now we can add new-signing Morgan Amalfitano to that list, as the French midfielder has signed a new two-year deal which will see him remain a Hammer as we move into our shiny new stadium.

Amalfitano has made 22-appearances for West Ham since joining from Marseille in summer 2014. He initially signed a one-year contract, and it’s great news for West Ham that he’ll be with us for a longer period of time. Although often understated, Amalfitano has made some strong contributions to the team by scoring goals and creating changes. The trouble with him is that he also made a significantly bad contribution to the team when he got sent off against West Brom on Valentine’s Day.

Although Amalfitano has only played for a full 90-minutes on five occasions in the league, his good contributions have been many. He’s scored three league goals for West Ham (against Liverpool, Manchester City, and Hull) and also provided an assist in our 2-1 league loss against Everton. Amalfitano excels at being a powerful substitute, and tends to bring a new energy and strength to games after being introduced. He only played for 25 minutes against Hull in January, but was so impressive after coming on. He scored a goal, and drove ball after ball forwards to ensure a vital 3-0 win.

The only issue with Amalfitano is that he may bring a bit of a temper with him. He left Marseille after falling out with coach Marcelo Bielsa, with the player having been told not to come near the training ground. This resulted in Amalfitano going on loan to West Brom last season. He is said to have enjoyed playing there– although you’d never know it from his abysmal ten minutes on the pitch against them in West Ham’s FA Cup defeat. After being booked for a late challenge on Chris Brunt, Amalfitano was given a straight red for losing his temper and shoving Brunt in the face. It was a reckless move that did nothing to help the Hammers eventual 4-0 mauling and FA Cup exit, and the subsequent three match ban was equally frustrating for Hammers fans.

When Noble had to come off against Spurs in a game where West Ham were 2-0 up, the style of play was screaming out for Amalfitano to come on as a substitute and shore up the midfield while pushing clever passes forward, but his poor decision making meant he was still suspended for this game – a game West Ham went on to draw 2-2.

Morgan Amalfitano is now available again after his suspension, and it’s great news for both the player and the club that we should be seeing him take to the pitch soon – and that he can look towards a bright future in East London.

Are you pleased with Amalfitano’s new two year contract? What do you think his best contribution to the side is? Let us know below or tweet me @makingthemarrow

Share this article

1 comment

  • katmad says:

    Yes I think Amalfitano has done well trying to fit into Sam’s way of thinking and playing and has scored some great goals when given the chance upfront. He was also very unlucky not to score against Chelsea at the Bridge but his shot hit the post. He is a talented and very skilfull footballer and we have not seen his full array of skills yet due to his lack of starts or defensive sub time on the pitch.
    The two goals he has scored have been priceless especially the precise toe poke against Liverpool.

Comments are closed.