Michail Antonio may count himself a little unlucky not to have earned his first England cap in yesterday’s victory over Malta as he watched on from the substitutes bench, but he won’t be complaining about the news that he is set to sign a new contract with the Hammers, his second in the space of three months. The Mirror claim that after a sensational start to the season, the club are hoping to tie him down and keep him happy at the London Stadium.
With five goals in seven Premier League games, it is clear to see why the Irons may be concerned that the four year deal he signed in July may not be enough to persuade him to stay should bigger clubs come knocking, particularly after the club’s poor start to the campaign.
The club will have to fork out to keep Antonio, and they will also have to fork out after a row with Chelsea could see them fined over ticket allocations in the EFL Cup. The biggest away following to the London Stadium to date has been 3,000, and competition rules state that the away team must be given a 10% allocation, meaning 5,700 for Chelsea.
After fears over fan violence and disruption, West Ham have followed police advice and requested special dispensation to reduce the away allocation for the tie, but this may incur a fine according to the Express. Whilst it may be expensive, the safety of the fans of both teams must come first.
Co-chairman David Gold has spoken out on Twitter over the club’s failed attempts to lure Carlos Bacca to the London Stadium, telling fans that the deal was virtually impossible. He said:
“Bacca wouldn’t come for love nor money and the only other option was to kidnap him which of course is illegal.”
The Colombian turned down a number of lucrative offers from the Hammers as he opted to stay with AC Milan in Italy, and Slaven Bilic was left with the misfiring signings of Jonathan Calleri and Simone Zaza to lead the line in a disastrous opening few weeks of the campaign.
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