West Ham United board offer David Moyes new striker amid Michail Antonio speculation
West Ham have offered to provide David Moyes with a new striker in January amid speculation over Michail Antonio, Claret & Hugh reports.
The Hammers forward is reportedly ready for a new challenge and open to leaving the London Stadium [talkSPORT, 11 January], while he is also the subject of interest for a January exit from Wolves, although an approach has been blocked [Shropshire Star, 11 January].
As the winter ticks by with West Ham sitting squarely in a relegation battle the willingness of the board to give Moyes the option of a new man up front is seen as possibly down to behind-the-scenes knowledge of Antonio’s hopes to leave.
The report from Claret & Hugh says: “The pair have been offered a striker by the board which may or may not be a priority requirement although it could easily be based on inside knowledge that Mikey Antonio is unhappier than has been made clear publicly.”
Unsettled
It could be putting two and two together because amid the miserable season that the Irons are unexpectedly having nobody at the club is going to be especially happy.
The team aren’t scoring enough goals with Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca not in great form so far this season, and the club appear to be serious about addressing the threat of relegation by spending more, so it is a positive that the option is there for the manager.
And at 32, and in the midst of his eighth season as a West Ham player, the man who has so often led the line on his own might see the writing on the wall in east London with big money spent on the Italian, who has himself been linked with an exit, and potentially more to come.
Were this season going more like the previous one at this stage he probably wouldn’t be looking at his options, but if his role is reducing and there is interest from elsewhere it would likely get his attention.
Either way, the only way to really address either situation is to start getting some much-needed results, if that means signing someone to help then so be it, but so much money was spent in the summer with so little return that it seems anything but a sure-fire solution.
Motivating Antonio to be the man the club has relied upon so heavily through the achievements of the previous successful seasons might be much more effective.