Alphonse Areola sends message after ‘incredible’ Michail Antonio news
Michail Antonio and Alphonse Areola both face uncertain futures at West Ham United amid a rebuild at the London Stadium.
Graham Potter has a significant task on his hands to turn things around in East London after West Ham‘s below-par Premier League season, which saw them languish in lower mid-table for the entire campaign.
Last summer’s saw the Hammers shell out over £130million on the likes of Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but only the latter truly impressed.
Areola and Antonio’s performances both came under significant scrutiny across the campaign, albeit West Ham were without their number nine from December onwards after a career-threatening injury.
Areola pays tribute to Antonio after injury comeback
Although Areola’s fluctuations in form last season saw him play in tandem with the now released Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks for West Ham, Antonio’s absence up a huge hole in the Hammers’ attack.
Antonio was “grateful to be alive” after his near-fatal car accident on 7 December, and the 35-year-old’s path to recovery and first-team fitness was expected to be a long one with no concrete return date set.
However, Antonio has defied expectations to make his comeback barely six months after a double lower-leg fracture, and featured in the last five minutes of Jamaica’s Gold Cup defeat to Guatemala on Monday. West Ham fans were stunned by his “incredible” comeback.
West Ham players have already begun to react to Antonio after his first on-field action since that car crash, and Areola continued the tributes with a message on his Instagram story (17 June) which included ‘strong arm’ and ‘prayer’ emoji’s.
West Ham willing to let Areola and Antonio depart
Antonio’s momentous comeback from injury comes against the backdrop of his soon-to-expire contract in East London, and West Ham have been urged to reach an agreement with Antonio beyond 30 June.
Areola’s long-term future is also in doubt at the London Stadium, after Football Insider revealed last month that Potter wants to sign England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as an upgrade on the Frenchman.
It remains to be seen how West Ham handle the duo’s situations with the transfer window open, but with Danny Ings and Fabianski released, the Irons are already quite short of numbers both up front and in goal.