Crystal Palace reportedly wanted Michail Antonio over the summer.
West Ham United are making slow but steady progress under Manuel Pellegrini, and after a summer of comings and goings, 2019 will be full of changes too.
The Hammers spent big on the likes of Issa Diop, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, whilst players such as James Collins, Reece Burke and Cheikhou Kouyate left the club.
Pellegrini will be looking to make further changes in January, with questions over the future of players like Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll, but they should be hoping that one player receives interest.
Michail Antonio may have starred in his first two seasons with the club, hitting 18 goals in all competitions, but he struggled last season and has been hugely disappointing this term.
Now 28, injuries appear to have taken their toll on Antonio, and he certainly isn’t the player he was, with West Ham fans growing increasingly frustrated with his ineffectual performances.
Even Antonio’s work rate appears to have taken a hit, and West Ham should be left hoping that Crystal Palace return with a new move to sign him in January.
Sky Sports reported over the summer that Palace were ready to sign Antonio for £15million, but whilst Kouyate made the move to Selhurst Park, no deal was completed for Antonio.
With Palace struggling for goals of late, Antonio may still be on Roy Hodgson’s radar, and claiming around double what they paid for Antonio in 2015 would be a smart move for West Ham, allowing Pellegrini to re-invest – but they have to pray that London neighbours Palace haven’t been put off in the early stages of this season.
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