It seems as though West Ham United could finally be on the verge of replacing Michail Antonio this summer.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio is now in the twilight of his career, and the Hammers forward recently admitted that he quite simply hasn’t been good enough this season.
The Jamaica international is absolutely crucial to the way that we play, and is a vital cog in the system deployed by David Moyes.
However, the problem is that when he’s out injured, ‘Moyes-ball’ is nowhere near as effective as it is when he’s playing.
That alone makes the fact that the Scot hasn’t signed someone with similar attributes to Micky over the past few years completely and utterly bizarre.
Antonio has returned to action recently and to be fair to him, he’s actually looked in decent shape. That said, he won’t be able to keep playing forever, and a long-term replacement is needed for him, if we are to go on and achieve success under Moyes…
West Ham can finally replace Michail Antonio by signing 24-year-old
Moyes clearly realises that his system is so dependent on Antonio. The Scot cannot afford to let another transfer window pass without signing someone who can replicate exactly what the 34-year-old does.
He absolutely has to get a big unit through the door – someone who’s willing to run the channels and is capable of occupying both centre-backs.
Judging by the latest claims, that’s exactly what the 60-year-old Hammers manager is planning to do…
According to a report from Calciomercato, West Ham are battling Celtic for the signature of Panathinaikos hitman Fotis Ioannidis.
He is said to be available for a real bargain fee of just €15 million (£12.5 million) – an absoltue steal in this day and age.
The 24-year-old is the absolute perfect long-term replacement for Antonio, and we surely have a good chance of beating Celtic in the race to sign him.
Ioannidis has bagged an impressive 21 goals and seven assists in 38 games for Panathinaikos so far this season (Transfermarkt).
Standing at 6ft 2in tall, the Greece international is very good in the air, is powerful when holding off defenders with his back to goal and is a tireless runner.
His ability to run the channels and create space for his teammates makes him the ideal replacement for Michail Antonio at West Ham. And it must be said…the 24-year-old is a far better finisher than the Jamaica international as well.
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