West Ham United have not been looking to seal a move away for Michail Antonio despite media claims, according to club insider Claret and Hugh.
The website, who are a reliable source of news on the Hammers and have links to those at the Irons – have revealed that nobody inside the club has been linking the 28-year-old with a move away from the London Stadium, saying it is the media that have been speculating about his future.
They report that Manuel Pellegrini wants to bring new players into his team this January rather than sell them, and that the £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] player is not going anywhere.
OPINION
Given the level of Antonio’s performances this season, many fans would have thought that he would be certain for the axe this January – but no. This report firmly issues West Ham’s stance on the future of Antonio, and by the looks of it, he is not going anywhere any time soon, Whether fans would be delighted by this news remains to be seen, because it is not like he has been having much of a positive impact on any of the results lately. Yes, he had a few good spells in the game against Manchester City at the weekend, but apart from that, he has been pretty woeful lately. Pellegrini does need to bring players in – that is a given considering the amount of injuries that have been mounting up – but the fact that he is not considering binning players like Antonio is pretty astounding. You would think that he would change his mind – but that does not now look like a possibility.
