Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan is never one to get caught up in sentiment, so his response to West Ham United’s Michail Antonio dilemma was pretty, well, Simon Jordan-esque.
On Monday, West Ham confirmed that Kurt Zouma will leave as a free-agent in July alongside the likes of Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings, Lukasz Fabianski and Aaron Cresswell.
For all intents and purposes, Michail Antonio is also due to be named alongside those departures in just over two weeks’ time. In an official statement, the Hammers parroted manager Graham Potter when explaining that, following that horror car crash last December, Antonio finds himself in a ‘unique situation’.
West Ham reportedly have reservations about whether the 35-year-old striker can ever recover peak fitness. And, as the club goes on to explain via their website, ‘there will be no formal decision and announcement on his future until such time that it is considered right and appropriate’.
For the most part, Simon Jordan feels that the stance West Ham United are taking is the right one.
Simon Jordan gives his verdict on West Ham United’s Michail Antonio dilemma
Jordan, chairman of Crystal Palace from 2000 to 2010, believes that the Hammers are treading the line neatly between their obligations to stand by the stricken centre-forward and their commercial obligations.
Though, by his own admission, he is ‘surprised’ the club were willing to extend Antonio’s long stay in East London in the first place, even if discussions appear to have hit an impasse of late.
“There is a huge risk attached to it, isn’t there? People want to look at the human side of things but he was at a point where, somewhere along the line, there was going to be a decision made about how valuable he is to West Ham United going forward,” Jordan explains.
“Yes, I know he has been a wonderful servant to the football club, but West Ham did not put him in the situation he has found himself in. He put himself there. I’m not suggesting I am blaming anyone for it, but it certainly isn’t West Ham’s fault.
“With that in mind, West Ham have got to be realistic. They are not a registered charity. I am surprised they are prepared to offer him a deal. I would have been more inclined to [keep Antonio] on a pay-and-play basis.
“Then, ultimately, if he can get back to the level then he will be remunerated. If he doesn’t want that, then he will take his chances with whichever football club takes a risk.”
Former Crystal Palace chairman hopes Michail Antonio can bounce back
Jordan is reminded of the broken leg which ended the career of former Fulham defender Chris Coleman at the age of 32.
Coleman, who would go on to manage the likes of Sunderland and Wales not to mention the Cottagers themselves, hung up his boots in 2002. A year-and-a-half after he too suffered serious injuries in a road traffic collision.
Jordan is hoping that the same fate does not befall Antonio.
But, as Jamaica boss Steve McClaren talks up Michail Antonio’s hopes of a stunning return to the professional game, there may well be a few clubs willing to take a chance on the soon-to-be 36-year-old powerhouse if he does indeed say his goodbyes to West Ham next month.
“Nobody wants Michail Antonio not to be well, to recover and be able to ply his trade towards the end of his playing career,” Jordan adds. “But you also have to be commercially realistic about what you can and can’t do and what you should and shouldn’t do.
“West Ham are trying to tread delicately through this. I’m not surprised there is not a significant offer [in terms of a new contract]. And, if Michail wants to take his chances on medicals at other football clubs, then that’s for him to decide.
“I don’t think West Ham owe him anything. They owe him the respect, to give him the environment to train him, to give him support, to pay him his salary, to make him an offer which is commensurate with where he is physically now, and if he doesn’t want it, he will make a decision.”
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