OPINION
If you were to ask a West Ham United fan their opinions on Michail Antonio, you probably do not need to be an expert to guess that those opinions would be on the negative side.
Who would blame them? The player has been in such polarising form – with his performances arguably more woeful than they are impressive – that it is hard to deduce whether he needs to be axed or whether he needs to be given time to prove himself.
Based on his recent displays, it would be easy to say that he does not deserve a place in the Hammers side.
According to the Sun, Fulham are interested in signing Antonio – but the Irons are not willing to part ways with their winger.
Their stance on Antonio is pretty bizarre to be honest – surely they should be snapping the hand off their rivals in order to get rid of him?
The cash generated from his potential sale would allow Manuel Pellegrini to seek out a winger who is far more effective than the 28-year-old, so it is a no-brainer decision really.
The manager needs a player he can rely on to provide the support to the strike force, and at the moment, that is not what Antonio is doing – in fact, he is doing the far opposite.
Every time he gets the ball, it seems like he does not know what to do with it, hence hampering any chance of a West Ham attack.
His stint in the right-back role did not leave much to the imagination, so supporters must be counting their lucky stars that both Pablo Zabaleta and Ryan Fredericks are both fit and available.
It is not hard to conclude that the £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] liability is not worth West Ham’s time any longer – so they must make a sharp U-turn on his future and let him go as soon as possible.
