West Ham are reportedly keen on handing 29-year-old forward Michail Antonio a new deal with the club despite his current contract expiring in two years.
Football Insider claims that Manuel Pellegrini is an admirer of the former Nottingham Forest winger who has become a firm fan favourite at the London Stadium since joining the Premier League side in 2015, and that the West Ham boss is keen for the attacker to secure his long-term future with the club.
Antonio has formed a good reputation for himself at West Ham as a Swiss army knife of a player due to his ability to play and perform in various positions, with positional stats from Transfermarkt showing that the 29-year-old wide-man has played in nine different areas of the pitch for the east London side since arriving four years ago.
Should Antonio be handed a new contract?
Yes
No
With figures from Spotrac showing that Antonio earns a reported £70,000-per-week currently at the club, Antonio could be set for a hefty pay-rise with the Hammers if Pellegrini is keen to retain the former Championship winger for the foreseeable future.
Antonio’s impact for the Irons this season has been severally limited after the attacker required surgery following a hamstring injury picked up against Newport County in the League Cup, forcing the winger to spend the majority of the season out on the recovery table as confirmed via West Ham’s official websites.
Though the former Forest star is due to return soon, with Pellegrini admitting in his pre-match press conference for Newcastle United via the club’s official website that Antonio will be back amongst the first-team after the November international break, which could see the 29-year-old return for the Hammers massive London derby clash against Tottenham.
