Key West Ham star makes hugely surprising transfer admission as January speculation intensifies after the window opened for business.
“Sometimes having competition is not what you want, sometimes you want to know that you’ll get picked every week.”
Those were the words of David Moyes last month when asked whether West Ham would be signing a striker in January as Michail Antonio struggled to find any kind of form.
The comments surprised and disappointed many West Ham fans who have been urging Moyes to sign another striker since before they sold Sebastien Haller to Ajax one year ago.
On one hand it is easy to see Moyes’s point. But at the same time his comments go against the age old principle in football – or indeed any elite level team sport – that competition is healthy and necessary to achieve success.
“I don’t know (if we will sign another striker). I’ve been a player and sometimes having competition is not what you want. Sometimes you want to know that you’ll get picked every week. Mic deserves to be picked for our team because of what he’s done. We are looking for better but not just from Mic. The goals from Mic are not the biggest thing. It’s his performance level that I’m looking for. I’m looking for the standards from when everyone was talking about him so thoroughly and rightly so. But I think that was because of his all-round performances and I think that’s the bit we’re looking for. His goals will come.”
Moyes speaking on December 12th 2021 on signing a striker in the January window
That has not stopped the West Ham rumour mill grinding into gear after the opening of the transfer window.
Yesterday alone West Ham were linked with four different forwards. You will be able to multiply that by 10 by January 31st.
Well now Antonio himself has made a hugely surprising transfer admission as January speculation intensifies over West Ham’s pursuit of a striker.
Key West Ham star makes hugely surprising transfer admission as January speculation intensifies
And the striker has defied Moyes’s comments by admitting that he would welcome and relish having another striker in the West Ham squad.
Antonio even claims that he would have benefitted from some time out of the side during his recent barren spell (Standard Sport).
“”I’m a person where I want a challenge, I want someone to be there pushing me and make sure I am doing the right things,” Antonio told Standard Sport.
“The time I went nine games without scoring a goal, maybe someone could have stepped in and given me that little push so that I could hit the back of the net.
“I am not a person that would shy away from a challenge. I would definitely embrace someone coming in, I’d embrace the competition.”
That is a great and honest attitude from Antonio.
But it also leaves Moyes, head of recruitment Rob Newman and the West Ham owners nowhere to hide.
If Antonio is not concerned about having the added competition and West Ham clearly need a new striker, then it is imperative they sign one this month.
That’s if the club wants to turn a hugely promising season into an unforgettable one.