West Ham star wants out: Spurs on claret alert to burst their bubble?

Michail Antonio has shocked club chiefs at West Ham by announcing he wants to leave the Olympic Stadium, according to The Times. The 27-year-old winger — currently out of action with a hamstring injury — has apparently been left irked with Hammers officials after he was offered less money than January signings Robert Snodgrass and José Fonte during contract talks with the club.

It was first reported by The Guardian on 13 April that Antonio’s contract extension talks had stalled, with the player rejecting West Ham’s latest offer due to him wanting a salary of around £70,000 a week. But a little over two weeks later, The Times today believe the Hammer’s top scorer is adamant he wants a move, despite West Ham wanting to extend his deal this summer.

London rivals Chelsea are thought to be keen on Antonio due to his versatility — impressing in a right wing-back role for his club when required. But as well as attracting the baby blues of Antonio Conte, should Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino add Antonio to his summer shopping list?

Mother (doesn’t) know best...

When profiling his rise from non-league obscurity to Premier League performer, the British press took great interest in the role Antonio’s mum, Cislyn, played in getting her son where he is today — for better or for worse. Cislyn Antonio prevented her son from joining Spurs when he was 14-years-old. After a successful trial Antonio was offered a place at Spurs’ academy, but his mum considered Tottenham too far to travel from their Wandsworth home in south-west London — believing her son’s education would suffer as a result.

“She said education comes first,” Antonio explained. “You can't imagine how I felt at the time. I was crying and all sorts.” Crying over the beloved cockerel at just 14? You can almost hear the Spurs faithful sing: An-to-nio, he is a Yido, An-to-nio, he is a Yido!

Although he can’t complain at how his professional football career has turned out so far by following mum’s orders and rejecting Spurs as a young teen, who knew that choosing this path would make Antonio (I believe) tailor-made for Pochettino’s Tottenham in 2017?

The perfect Pochettino player?

Antonio began life as a footballer at non-league Totting & Mitcham United before earning a move to Championship side Reading as an 18-year-old. He made only 28 appearances in four years at the Madejski Stadium, being shipped out on loan five times to as many clubs. After leaving Reading in 2012, he spent three seasons playing regular Championship football between Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest before moving to West Ham in 2015.

It wasn’t until he was 25-years-old then that Antonio earned his chance to strut his stuff among England’s elite. And in just over 18-months in the Premier League, he has gone from strength-to-strength — scoring 17 goals in 55 appearances while proving himself capable at right-back, wing-back, winger and centre-forward.

The link may be too farfetched for some but Antonio’s journey in football has shades of the ones made by current Spurs stars Dele Alli and Harry Kane. As well as plying his trade in the game’s lower leagues as a youngster (like Alli), Antonio refused to fall victim to England’s “make-or-break” loan system (like Kane) — rather than being chewed up and spat out in the Football League, he has survived and thrived.

Analysing his Premier League performances at West Ham and past experience in the Football League, Michail Antonio is perhaps the perfect Pochettino player. His footballing education has been built on hard work and graft but when given the opportunity to prove himself at a higher level, he has risen to the occasion. The only achievement currently lacking from his résumé is an England cap: surely that would be guaranteed under club manager Pochettino?

Fitting the bill (in more ways than one)

Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick, Frédéric Kanouté, Scott Parker — all have swapped claret-and-blue for blue-and-white during the Premier League era. Heck, even Hammers’ golden boy Bobby Moore was “simmering with discontent” (according to the Evening Standard’s Tony Evans) because he was denied two opportunities to move to Tottenham in the Sixties. Transfers from West Ham to Tottenham are undoubtedly tricky affairs, but Antonio would be worth it.

The versatility that has served Antonio so well at West Ham would work wonders at White Hart Lane. He could play wing-back in Pochettino’s five-man defence; right wing in a 4-2-3-1, and even play as a makeshift centre-forward should Kane ever find himself on the treatment table. Strong and powerful in the air, he is an immense aerial threat from set-pieces while also being handy in front of goal — ticking off a big requirement of Pochettino’s that a team cannot solely rely on a striker for goals.

Are you sold yet? Well, considering the bill (see what I did there) for current transfer target Wilfried Zaha could be upwards of £40m this summer, Antonio may — just may — be slightly lighter on Daniel Levy’s wallet, which could make all the difference. And despite being 27-years-old and offering little sell-on value for Tottenham’s chairman, signing Antonio would move the club away from a series of failed investments for wingers (Clinton N’jié, Georges-Kévin N'Koudou and Moussa Sissoko) costing up to £60m, and instead lay down a marker of us signing Premier League proven players that will improve the squad and make an impact from day one of arrival.

Better still, not only would signing West Ham’s top scorer and star player burst a big bubble in east London, it would provide a talented footballer with a second chance to rectify the reckless mistake he made as a 14-year-old. Win-win, no? That is, unless Cislyn Antonio disagrees.

 

spurs have had a few good players from west ham in the past so why not go for him Poch would make him better C.O.Y.S

 

Nice article Josh!! That's an interesting development, I completely agree with you there. Antonio has the marking of a good professional! Hard working, versatile, power and pace; he'd definitely fit well within our style more so that these other wingers have as you mentioned. To top it off, he'd be no where near their cost to the club. If it's possible, let's get him. COYS!

 

Let's face it he is the only player from Spam worth consideration as a Tottenham player, they have been rank this season. I think he would be preferable to Zaha who has plenty of pace but not much else? This fella is versatile and therefore more of an asset when, as you rightly point out, Kane is injured or off form. He can play as a wing back as well, so good if Poch plays a back three again, much more preferable than putting Son there!

 

Next season we will have the income from 90;000 fans and the following season 61;000 in one of the finest state of the art stadiums in world football. Its time to move into that level on the pitch also. Antonio is a steady player no doubt but I think we should be looking at better quality than him if we want to compete for major honours. He's been in the top flight for only 18 month or so and reportedly wants 100k a week. Are we really going to pay him the same as lloris Kane et al and more than Alli dembele and other key players. I'd be looking at Douglas Costa Willian Isco lukaku Reus aubamayang lacazatte etc.

 

You certainly have your homework done there Josh , have to say he's a player I like and I don't see any reason he wouldn't fit in at our place , would have him in front of Sissoko or Lamela in a heartbeat ... Wouldn't give up on N'Koudou just yet , there's deff talent in the kid but weather he ever makes it in the Premier Lg , time will tell ...

Now I have to admit , last summer when we were linked with Zaha , I wasn't impressed at all , I think I said something like " last thing we need is another brain dead footballer " so I won't be getting a scouting job anytime soon ... In hindsight he would have been a decent buy if we had gotten him at a good price , he certainly won't be available at the right price anymore ...

We might have the income from a 90,000 seater stadium next year and 61,000 after that but for how long will we be carrying the debt from the new stadium , I haven't seen anything about that yet , could be quiet a few years after the stadium is built before we start seeing any financial benefit from it ...

Another big day tomm , it's now or never as far as Chavski dropping points is concerned , but we can't let that dictate what kind of performance we put on later in the day , last ever N.L.D at the Lane , no need for any extra motivation here ... C.O.Y.S ....

 

Arseholes flattered by the 2 - 0 defeat after another swashbuckling performance by the Spurs without Dembele and Rose , two of their best performer's , two of the best in their positions in the League ... Wouldn't say we were at our very best but shows how far we,ve come over last few years ...

So our best ever home record , 16 wins 2 draws out of 18 played , wow I never taught I'd see the day , and what happens next , we knock the place to the ground ... I know it needs to be done , it's important for us moving forward but the feckin timing of it ... Lol ... C.O.Y.S ...