West Ham: Bilic’s signing is now “absolute fire”pool
The Hammers ace has been integral across the club’s rise under David Moyes…
“We have signed a world-class player.”
The words of West Ham United chairman David Sullivan in June, 2015. Co-chairman at the time. Slaven Bilic had been appointed as the club’s manager earlier that summer, and he was tasked with leading the Hammers away from obscurity in the depths of the Premier League.
Sullivan’s claim was in reference to the £10m acquisition of adroit playmaker Dimitri Payet, who was renowned as one of the most underrated creators in Europe.
The Irons succeeded in their exploits, blitzing into form in the 2015/16 term and earning a seventh-placed finish in the top-flight, with Bilic’s French “genius” – as was claimed by one match commentator after that assist – the fulcrum of his side’s success, chalking up 12 goals and 15 assists across all competitions and etching his name into Hammers folklore.
However, the diminutive gem’s time in east London proved to be little more than a sojourn, with his second season proving difficult; he was discontented with life at the club and his form had seeped into the dressing room. In January 2017, Bilic confirmed to the press that his prodigious star wanted to leave. And that was all she wrote.
Payet stole the headlines, and rightfully so. For that one fleeting season, West Ham was graced with a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player, the sort that shoots you out of your seat as if by a trebuchet, mouth gaped open and stars in your eyes.
There was another, however, to also put pen to paper with the Irons in the summer of 2015, the period that some would argue was the genesis of the newfound success that was nurtured upon David Moyes’ second appointment in December 2019, which, as all know, has paid off handsomely.
That man is Michail Antonio. Under the radar at the time, the dynamic ace is now a staple of the feats of the past years, and will leave London with a lasting, silver-laden legacy.
How much did West Ham sign Michail Antonio for?
Deadline day, 2015. An annual occurrence often filled with trepidation as clubs hurry to conclude deals and provide their squads with good chances to succeed in their seasonal goals.
West Ham had indeed appointed Bilic and bolstered the squad with the likes of Payet, as well as Angelo Ogbonna and Manuel Lanzini.
In a deal that just earlier that day looked destined to fail, 25-year-old forward Antonio signed from Nottingham Forest for a fee in the region of £7m, rejecting interest from Derby County and West Bromwich Albion.
It was a small sum for an exciting and athletic player, who had just posted 14 goals and assists apiece in the Championship with the Tricky Trees the season before.
Antonio would spend seven of his first eight Premier League matches as an unused substitute, coming off the bench for half an hour in the other, and despite growing into his skin and scoring 11 times across all competitions in his maiden year – including eight goals from 23 league starts – few envisaged the stalwart that the powerhouse would become.
How good is Michail Antonio?
Let’s fast track to the present, Moyes has led West Ham to the Europa Conference League trophy, ending an interminable wait for a major honour – United last won major silverware in the 1980 FA Cup – and West Ham have entered the 2023/24 Premier League season prepared for a third successive continental campaign
They’ve also started with aplomb, preparing for a daunting contest against the imperious Manchester City having clinched three successive victories – including wins over Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion – after drawing against Bournemouth on the south coast.
Among the goals is Antonio, bagging twice from his first four outings of the year and extending his record as the outfit’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer, with 63 strikes to his name.
Heralded as a “special” star by his manager, the 33-year-old has forged 280 displays, scoring 77 goals and providing 43 assists in total, and was instrumental in the gleaning of the Conference League.
In 2021, only a rampant Mohamed Salah outscored the 12-cap Jamaica international, a further testament to a player who was on “absolute fire”, as was said by pundit and Premier League icon Rio Ferdinand.
He might be getting on, but Antonio is still a formidable option and scored 14 times across all competitions last term, including six goals from seven starts in the Conference League, paramount to the club’s rise through the rounds.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 11% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90, further illustrating the distinctive set of skills that he brings to the table, and has done so with such prolific conviction over his years as a Hammer.
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Antonio would not have attracted the most lucrative transfer fee, had West Ham decided to cash in on the £85k-per-week phenom at some point over the past several years, with Football Transfers actually only ever listing his maximum value at £15m, in 2022.
However, considering his impact over the 280 appearances he has made for the side, it’s evident that his role has been significant, hitting 30 Premier League goals from just 86 appearances at the peak of his powers, from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
A remarkable striker, and one who will forever be fondly remembered for his influential role in this burgeoning West Ham team, and he’s not even done yet.
