Julen Lopetegui has apparently just made a major U-turn on West Ham United striker Michail Antonio.
Michail Antonio started the first Premier League game of the season for West Ham, despite the fact that Julen Lopetegui has already brought Niclas Fullkrug to the London Stadium.
However, the Hammers head coach surely would have been disappointed with Antonio’s awful 3/10 performance against the Villans.
In all fairness to the experienced forward, he has been excellent for us on the whole over the past nine years.
That said, there is no room for sentiment in elite level sport. It’s time for West Ham and Antonio to cut ties as far as I’m concerned.
But where does Lopetegui stand on the matter?
Michail Antonio twist as Julen Lopetegui makes U-turn
So things have changed regarding the former Nottingham Forest man’s future at the London Stadium it seems.
According to a report from The Times, the Hammers are now open to selling Antonio.
That is a huge turnaround from a recent report that claimed Julen Lopetegui sees Michail Antonio as an important player for West Ham.
At 34, Antonio clearly isn’t the player he once was, and with his deal set to expire at the end of this season, now would actually be a good time to sell him.
Wolves are said to be interested in signing the Jamaica international, and it now seems like they can have him, if they do indeed want him.
Fullkrug is on another level entirely to his Hammers teammate, and if we can get his huge wages off the books this summer, it would be a real result.
Michail Antonio a spent force
It has been quite sad to witness Antonio’s painful regression over the past year or so.
The 34-year-old has completely lost his blistering pace, and explosive running style that once made him so dangerous.
In addition to that, his first touch seems to have got worse as well, and the ball rarely sticks to him when it gets sent long.
I actually think that Michail Antonio could still do a job for West Ham as an impact sub, but definitely not as a regular starter.
It’s time the Hammers moved on from a position whereby we’re reliant on the Jamaican forward.
And judging by the latest report, that is exactly what Lopetegui intends to do.
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