West Ham hero Michail Antonio has publicly shamed former Hammers boss Graham Potter over the way he handled his ‘sad’ exit from the club he hoped to retire with.
West Ham’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer Michail Antonio finally found a new club this week, eight months after leaving the London Stadium.
The Jamaica striker signed for Qatari outfit Al Sailya over the weekend and that saw Antonio finally say an emotional farewell to West Ham fans.
But while the Hammers great had gushing praise and love for the club’s fans, it was quite the opposite for Graham Potter.
Antonio says Potter snubbed his West Ham farewell request
After a decade of service and proving astonishing value for money given he was signed for just £7.5m, many felt West Ham did not handle Antonio’s exit with the class and respect he deserved.
Especially in light of the fact he had battled back from breaking his leg in that horrific Epping Forest car crash.
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West Ham offered Antonio a short-term deal on reduced wages which the forward declined.
Antonio has this week admitted he wanted to retire at West Ham.
But he conceded ‘life is life’ and ‘it just didn’t manage to work out that way’.
There is no doubt Antonio was, at the very least, deserving of a proper send-off in front of West Ham fans.
Whether that was by way of a testimonial, an appearance at the end of last season or during pre-season for the current campaign.
West Ham played Lille at the London Stadium back in August which could have been billed Antonio’s farewell in front of the Hammers faithful.
But now Antonio has revealed that Potter, who ruthlessly and naively released several long-serving fan favourites in one fell swoop over the summer, denied him that opportunity.
Potter refusing Antonio Lille appearance was ‘hard pill to take’
In his farewell this week, Antonio said he is ‘sad’ he could not say goodbye on the pitch.
In an admission which publicly shames Potter, Antonio says he Potter snubbed his request to walk out in front of Hammers fans one last time in that game against Lille.
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Speaking to BBC Sport, Antonio said he was ‘disappointed he did not get the chance of even a final substitute appearance in a home friendly’.
He says he was ultimately not wanted by Potter and describes his exit in August as “a hard pill to take”.
That is clearly no way to treat a bona fide club hero.
Sometimes there is room for sentimentality in football, especially when the friendly with Lille offered the perfect opportunity.
Antonio is not alone in criticising Potter, who left West Ham in a terrible state with a severe lack of depth and experience following his decision to release Antonio, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski.
Coufal has slammed Potter for the way he handled his West Ham exit, saying he was told in a 30-second conversation having believed he would be offered a new contract.
The Czech warrior has since left for Hoffenheim where he has been one of the best performing full-backs in the Bundesliga.
Potter went with his tail between his legs to bring Fabianski back when Wes Foderingham left.
Meanwhile Cresswell has been excellent for Stoke.
Many fans feel their experience would have been vital in navigating – and perhaps even avoiding – the relegation battle Potter left the Hammers in.
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