West Ham United are reportedly willing to sell the winger this summer.
According to a report form the Mirror, West Ham are willing to sell Michail Antonio this summer, with Crystal Palace leading the race for his signature, but Manuel Pellegrini would be making a huge mistake in allowing the winger to leave east London.
The Chilean’s activity during this summer’s transfer window will go a long way to defining his tenure as Hammers boss, and whilst he undoubtedly needs to bring in some added quality, it will be equally as important for him to keep hold of his best players.
Antonio certainly fits into that category…
The 28-year-old joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £7 million, and he has since gone on to establish himself as a real fan favourite at the London Stadium.
He has chalked up an impressive 21 goals and 11 assists in 90 appearances in all competitions for West Ham.
The Hammers ace has proven to be a wonderfully versatile player for the club over the past three years, playing in a variety of different positions to help out his team, including right-back, centre-forward and right midfield.
His direct style of play and pace down the right hand flank adds a certain level of potency to West Ham’s attacking play, and they are an entirely different team without him.
Whilst the report from the Mirror does not specify a price, it could be argued that when he’s fully fit and firing on all cylinders, Antonio is priceless to the east Londoners, and selling him this summer could spell a disastrous start to Pellegrini’s tenure at the London Stadium.
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