Before Saturday’s away game against Brighton began, Tim Steidten, the technical director for West Ham United, and manager David Moyes were spotted having a lengthy conversation on the side of the pitch.
If the club was talking about looking for a new striker in the last days of the summer transfer window, then maybe what Michail Antonio performed during his 79 minutes on the pitch has changed those intentions.
Antonio has been phenomenal against Brighton-
In an excellent 3-1 victory, Antonio scoring once and provided one assist. West Ham finished the night on top of the Premier League standings thanks to further goals from Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse, a summer addition.
West Ham defeated Brighton for the first time in league competition since April 2012, when both sides were in the Championship. It was the epitome of the counter-attacking game that Moyes’ teams excel at. Despite having only 22% of the ball, West Ham achieved the fourth-highest number of anticipated goals thus far this season.
Three Saudi Arabian teams have made approaches to Antonio, whose contract is set to expire next summer. However, no deal has been reached with any of his potential suitors. He makes a lot of money at West Ham, thus he refused to move his family to another nation for less than his fair market worth.
Antonio, who led West Ham in scoring last season with 14 goals in 48 appearances throughout all competitions, is unfazed by the club’s most recent hunt for a striker and believes he will remain their starting striker.
Areola’s heroic saves helped West Ham clinch their first PL victory against the Seagulls-
Despite goalie Alphonse Areola’s late heroics to hold off a rally by the home team, he feels he should have netted a second goal against Brighton. Nonetheless, he was chosen man of the match. Although the season is still young, the developing relationship between Antonio and Ward-Prowse certainly seems to have a lot of potential.
The club did consider offers for the attacker, but considering his performances over the last two games, Moyes and his hiring staff may want to reconsider their approach. Following Gianluca Scamacca’s $37.7 million ($30 million) return to Serie A this summer after one season, Antonio, Danny Ings, 31, and Divin Mubama, 18, are the manager’s identified offensive alternatives. Youssef En-Nesyri, a 26-year-old player for Sevilla who was the subject of a £27 million deal rebuffed by the Spanish club in January 2021, has piqued West Ham’s attention once again.
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West Ham are targeting some prominent strikers this transfer window-
The 21-year-olds Gift Orban of Gent in Belgium and Hugo Ekitike of French champions Paris Saint-Germain have both been linked with transfers to the London Stadium. Elye Wahi was a target for several teams, but he eventually signed for Lens for £30 million from another French team Montpellier. Habib Diallo of Strasbourg, a different Ligue 1 candidate, was taken into consideration but transferred to the Saudi club Al Shabab.
Antonio’s hard ethic away from the ball sets him apart from players like Ings and Obama. “The link-up play with Antonio was very good, but I have no doubt that our football will get better,” remarked Moyes. When Antonio is a physical nuisance for defenders and is proficient in front of goal, he performs at his best. It is understandable why his teammates like playing with him.
West Ham had failed to earn a point or even score a goal after three games in the 2022–23 Premier League. After a year, things seem considerably more promising, thanks in large part to the drive and effort of the player wearing No. 9.
