Michail Antonio’s horror car crash in December foreshadowed what was to come as our nightmare season comes to a close this month. Now our all-time Premier League goalscorer faces a race against time to complete an unlikely comeback from that nasty double leg break this season.
The Irons number 9 will be desperate to prove he can still offer something to this squad with his contract set to expire at the end of this campaign. It would be an incredible feat for Antonio should he manage to make a comeback given the severity of the crash, with many fans and medical experts acknowledging that he was lucky to survive the crash. The forward has been working hard rehabbing including time in Dubai as he looks to be fit enough to be in a position to showcase his fitness for the next league campaign.
Missing the Presence of the Number 9
You feel as though Antonio’s presence has been greatly missed both on the pitch and off it. It seems crazy to say that the winger signed in 2015, sometimes played at right back, would become so crucial to our forward line. If you’d told me he’d become our all-time top Premier League scorer, I’d have likely laughed in your face.
But his pace and power provided us with a vital outlet which has been desperately lacking this season. Although it would be fair to say he struggled in the games he played prior to the injury, his presence helped to round out the starting eleven. Instead, we were left striker-less for large spells of the campaign and forced to put Jarrod Bowen through the middle, losing our captain’s important role down the right flank.
The Graham Potter Dilemma
Graham Potter’s side has often looked wasteful in front of goal, and whilst Antonio may not have been banging them in, his movement, pace and general presence bring spaces for others. The double blow for Potter, who is yet to have the opportunity to have Antonio in his matchday squad was to lose Fullkrug and Summerville in his opening fixture in charge of the club.
The system looked slick and we were playing some of our best football before the German and Dutch internationals were forced off through hamstring injuries. Of course, it is impossible to say which direction the club would’ve gone without those injuries but to say it has been bleak since that exciting opening 30 minutes of Potter’s tenure is an understatement.
A Final Game in Claret and Blue?
You feel as though a prime Antonio would’ve fitted perfectly into Potter’s system. His power and work rate would likely see him ahead of Fullkrug in the pecking order, but now with his injury, you feel he may have played his final game in claret and blue.
If I was in charge, I would offer a pay-as-you-play type deal to our number 9. He has written himself into West Ham folklore and is a key personality in the dressing room, which is something sorely lacking at the moment. As someone who scored one of the last goals at Upton Park and the first league goal at the London Stadium, it would be sad to see him go under this cloud.
Beyond the Playing Field
Failing that, if we didn’t want to offer him a playing contract, depending on Antonio’s mindset, you could offer to pay for his coaching badges or offer him an ambassadorial role. I feel as though his personality and presence around the dressing room is sorely missed.
The club have lost some influential personnel in recent years, and with Cresswell leaving too, we must keep someone around the club who understands the importance of playing for this great football club. That said, the opportunity to free up wages, with Ings also leaving at the end of the season, leaving Fullkrug as our only recognised forward, would leave the club with an opportunity to revamp this ageing forward line and start afresh.
Something that Potter will likely be desperate to do as he enters his first full year in charge. Michail, thanks for the memories, and I think I speak for all West Ham fans when I wish you all the best with your recovery. You will always be welcome at the London Stadium, but we need to move on from Antonio the player and hope to solve the striker curse once and for all.
Be the first to comment