By Anthony Onifade

30th Jan, 2023 | 5:38pm

West Ham striker Michail Antonio expected to stay at London Stadium beyond Tuesday's transfer deadline day

Michail Antonio is expected to remain at West Ham beyond the January transfer window, despite interest from Nottingham Forest, according to talkSPORT.

The 32-year-old has struggled to rediscover his 2021/22 form this campaign scoring just six goals all season and has seen his game time at the London Stadium limited with David Moyes preferring Gianluca Scamacca.

The arrival of Danny Ings could well compound the forward’s immediate fate in East London, and his former club Nottingham Forest and Everton were both credited in providing an escape route for the Jamaican international.

The forward has also admitted [19 January] recently that his Hammers future is uncertain but said that his current focus is on the club’s ambitions this season.

And according to talkSPORT [30 January], the 32-year-old is expected to remain at the London Stadium beyond Tuesday’s transfer deadline day, with the Hammers unwilling to allow him to leave with both Scamacca and Ings both currently out injured.

Correct decision

With Scamacca and Ings both on the sidelines, it simply wouldn’t make sense for West Ham to let Antonio leave this month.

Certainly, the Jamaican has undergone a poor campaign so far, just scoring six goals from 26 games in all competitions. However, the player remains a key part of Moyes’ squad.

The Jamaican international still has a huge role to play both on and off the pitch as his experienced will prove valuable in the Hammers’ aims to steer clear of a relegation battle.

Also, the club are still in the UEFA Europa Conference League which means Moyes will need all the quality and options at his disposal in order to rotate where possible.

His future beyond this summer remains unclear and he may well leave come to the end of the season, but for now, both him and the club’s priorities should be on correcting their current plight and turning their season around.