According to Football Insider, West Ham United are expected to let Michail Antonio leave in the summer when his contract expires.
West Ham are predicted to have a huge overhaul this summer, with many players coming to the end of their contracts and David Moyes’ future hanging in the balance.
There is still a fantastic opportunity for the Hammers to qualify for Europe next season; they are currently eighth and just four points behind Newcastle United with three games left to play, but will need to get some convincing three-point results to leapfrog their competitors.
Having said that, it doesn’t look like even the potential of a top-seven finish could save the West Ham manager’s job at this point, as Julen Lopetegui and Ruben Amorim have both been strongly linked with replacing the Scotsman in the summer.
The rumour mill has not only been churning for managerial replacements, as West Ham are already being linked with several players that could strengthen their squad this summer including Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
Speaking of strikers, Football Insider are reporting today that the Hammers could finally be set to part ways with their all-time goal-scorer this summer as Michail Antonio enters the last month of his contract at the East London club.
As per the report, Antonio will not have his 12-month option to extend triggered for next season, and will instead leave the club on a free transfer in June.
Should West Ham let Antonio leave?
There is no doubt that Antonio has been a loyal servant and has become a club legend over his time in East London, however, with West Ham looking to embrace change ahead of next season, it could be for the best moving forward.
It is looking like a new manager will be taking charge when Moyes’ contract expires, so it will be important to give them the opportunity to put their own personal touch on the squad and bring in players that suit their philosophy for the future.
As a result, holding onto a 34-year-old striker for another 12 months if their plans is to address the striker role makes little to no sense for the club or the player who will be free to explore his options and potential to still play first-team football elsewhere.
Since joining the club back in 2015, Antonio has been a consistent threat in front of goal with 82 goals scored and 40 assists delivered over 305 appearances, with a goal contribution every 178 minutes played.
It won’t be an easy task to replace the amount of goal contributions the Hammers legend has delivered over the years, but it is definitely the perfect time to start finding a worthy successor to fill his boots upon his departure.
