West Ham defender Angelo Obonna may be shown the exit doors this summer, according to Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers blog, which has the inside track on behind-the-scenes events at the club, claims that the 30-year-old could depart the London Stadium this summer.
It is understood manager Manuel Pellegrini has made the decision to bring in a new centre-back, meaning a current defensive option is likely to leave and Obonna is the “marginal favourite” to depart ahead of Winston Reid.
Pellegrini wants a new defender to partner £21million signing Issa Diop next season and it appears like colossus ace Ogbonna is not in his plans, despite being a mainstay in the side last season.
OPINION
Wow. This would be a huge shock if Ogbonna leaves this summer, but he is reportedly the frontrunner to do so. He was arguably the pick of the centre-backs last season and the experienced figure even helped mentor rising star in the closing months of the campaign. The ex-Juventus defender seems like the perfect partner for new arrival Diop, but apparently Pellegrini doesn’t see things that way. Ogbonna is a left-footed centre-back that offers great balance to the side and he is also a beast in the air. However, the report explains that Pellegrini will receive all of the transfer funds made on player sale and perhaps he may look to move Ogbonna on to build a larger kitty to bring in a replacement centre-back. West Ham did have the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League last campaign, but even Irons supporters were mostly pleased with the efforts of Ogbonna and it would be somewhat sad to see him moved on.
