Transfer News: West Ham Won’t Give Up On English Striker Amid Struggles

Michail Antonio has gone through a rough patch as of late with West Ham United.

Part of his struggles is the fact that he is coming off an injury, a setback that has hampered him from becoming the Hammer's most reliable scorer on the field.

However, things are slowly getting complicated with Antonio’s contract expiring at the end of next season.

Although it is still too early, it appears West Ham United plans to keep the faith in the English striker, and sealing a new deal is one of their prerogatives, The Sun reported.

Antonio has undoubtedly set the bar with the Hammers and entered the current campaign with high expectations.

He has amassed 20 goals from the last two English Premier League seasons, and pundits feel it could have been higher if did not suffer a hamstring injury.

Being the only striker for David Moyes, the setbacks have told heavily on the Hammers.

Antonio has not figured prominently in scoring, his last goal coming in October against Tottenham per Hammers News.

Since then, he has been in a drought and some have been questioning his place on the team.

One person who has come to the defense of Antonio is Declan Rice. He urged critics to lay off his teammates, adding that the Hammers cannot solely rely on the English footballer to score goals, whufc.com reported.

“It’s dried up a bit now, but I think every striker goes through that patch and he’s still a massive key for us and the way we play. It’s up to other players to score goals, including myself,” Rice stated.

Despite his struggles and inability to consistently score, such has not altered the trust and confidence that West Ham has in Antonio.

The Hammers are keen to retain Antonio, and advanced talks with the English national are being planned.

If both sides agree, Antonio is likely to stay at the London Stadium until 2025.