With the Premier League season drawing to a close, West Ham fans may have already seen Andriy Yarmolenko play his last game for the Irons.
The £17.5m man’s contract expires next month, and by the sounds of it, he will not be signing fresh terms at the London Stadium.
However, Yarmolenko’s expected exit will not come as a result of unpopularity in east London.
What’s the story?
Well, the Ukraine international spent a lot of time with the Under-23 side while recovering from an achilles injury, shortly after arriving from Borussia Dortmund.
It was during that period where Yarmolenko struck up a close bond with West Ham’s young prospects, to the point where they did something admirable for him.
According to The Athletic, some members of the West Ham Under-23 side delayed their summer holidays so they could stay behind and help the 32-year-old do extra training at Rush Green.
They certainly didn’t have to do that, but it speaks volumes about their character – and also the personality of Yarmolenko – that they did.
Clearly, the Ukrainian – who said he’s 95% likely to leave – is a popular guy at the London Stadium.
West Ham must replace Andriy Yarmolenko
With all due respect, Yarmolenko hasn’t exactly been a key player for West Ham, although they still need to replace him.
David Moyes doesn’t have many attacking options as it is, so his frontline will become even weaker in terms of depth once Yarmolenko departs.
Before West Ham do anything else this summer, they must sign a new striker, or at least a versatile attacker who can play anywhere across the forward line.
While that will be tough, it should be easier once Yarmolenko’s huge £100,000-a-week salary is removed from the wage bill.
With a salary like that freed up, it should allow for more movement in the market from Moyes.
Keep an eye on West Ham this summer, as we’d be very surprised if they didn’t sign a new forward.
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