Kevin Phillips slams West Ham board over transfer howler
Kevin Phillips has slammed the West Ham board for not bringing in a replacement for Michail Antonio following his latest injury blow.
The former Sunderland forward, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, questioned why the Hammers didn’t bring in backup for Antonio after selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax in January.
Haller’s sale left Antonio as the only senior striker available to David Moyes and by the time the deal had been finalised he had already missed eight Premier League games this campaign through injury.
Moyes has said that Antonio may return for the Hammers on Monday after missing the midweek trip to Old Trafford with a knock.
However, Phillips claims that Hammers fans will be disappointed over the club’s decision to not bring in striker cover considering Antonio’s injury record.
Phillips told Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs, “It happens to every club. Antonio is again out for a bit.
“Why didn’t you go out and get someone in that position? You knew this could happen.
“Someone’s going to have to step up but as a supporter, knowing the history of Antonio, they’ll be disappointed.
“They’re in such a good place at the moment, they won’t want this season to unravel while losing players and not being able to replace them.
“You’ve got to have faith in Moyesie after what he’s done, he’ll probably put someone in there who you wouldn’t expect and they’ll do a job.
“It’ll be interesting to see what they do going forward.”
Andriy Yarmolenko started in the striker role against Manchester United on Tuesday but he was withdrawn during the game with a knee issue.
Striking options are thin on the ground for the Irons as they prepare for the visit of Sheffield United on Monday night.
In other West Ham news, Sources: West Ham & Everton target Richards agrees to join Bayern Munich.