Antonio planning long West Ham stay
Reports have come out over the last few days that West Ham forward Michail Antonio is planning to stay at the club until he retires.
The 30-year-old has just finished his best-ever season at West Ham, scoring ten goals in the Premier League. Antonio proved that he is one of the most valuable assets at the club. The forward outperformed all of the recent big-money signings, including record signing Sebastien Haller.
Antonio almost on left the club at one point after injuries appeared to take their toll on him, this injuries affected his performances between 2017 and 2019. But since Antonio’s full recovery he had played his best football to date, his high-point was a four-goal haul against Norwich City.
The winger was signed by Slaven Bilic in 2015 from Nottingham Forest on deadline day, for a fee of around £7 million. Antonio took time to adapt to the Premier League, often behind Victor Moses in selection. Once Antonio broke into the side though there was no stopping him, he scored nine times and assisted five in his first season at West Ham. Antonio scored crucial goals in famous wins against Tottenham and Liverpool.
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Antonio became a history maker in 2016 for the Hammers; he scored one of the last goals at Upton Park and the first Premier League goal at the London Stadium. In the 2016-17 season, Antonio continued to impress. The Englishman scored nine times and assisted six goals, improving on his previous season.
Thee 2017-18 season was hampered by injury for Antonio as he only played 21 times, scoring three times. But in the 2018-19 season, as Manuel Pellegrini became manager, Antonio proved he was still the man. The forward scored seven and assisted seven, including the winner against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. It was the first time an away side had beaten Spurs in their new ground, Antonio was writing history once again.
When the 2019-20 season started Antonio looked as though he would have to settle for a squad role. Players like Felipe Anderson, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmokenko and Haller were all expected to be ahead of him in the pecking order. But as the season went on, west Ham’s reliance on Antonio’s dominant style of play grew. Haller was struggling upfront but excelled when played with Antonio in a brilliant striker partnership.
This partnership expected to be built upon after the pause to football. But Haller picked up an injury ruling him out for the restart. Antonio had to play as a lone striker but has taken to the role like a fish to water. Since project restart, Antonio scored eight goals to help fire the club to safety. He received a nomination for player of the month.
Antonio has had a lot of highs in his career at West Ham. He has written himself into history for multiple records and even earned an England call-up, only missing out on a cap because of an injury. Antonio has scored 38 goals and assisted 22 times for the Hammers. Thirty-six of which have come in the Premier League putting him fifth in the clubs Premier League goalscorers table. He is eleven behind West Ham idol Paolo Di Canio at the top of the table, and he could surpass him if he repeats this seasons heroics.
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Despite being played in almost every position and at times showing a lack in technical skill, Antonio has shown determination and fight for West Ham. Antonio’s passion and love for the club have endeared him to West Ham fans making him a fan favourite.