West Ham have announced their decision on Michail Antonio’s future after the striker was involved in a horror car crash that ended his season as the club announce seven players will leave including Kurt Zouma
West Ham have confirmed they are yet to decide on Michail Antonio’s future after his horror car crash.
Antonio has been sidelined since December after crashing his Ferrari in Essex, and his deal is set to expire at the end of the month.
However, West Ham have announced that they will delay a decision on Antonio’s contract situation. But they have confirmed that Kurt Zouma will leave the club. The 30-year-old was given 180 hours of community service in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to kicking and slapping his cat.
The club clarified in a statement: “Given Michail Antonio’s unique situation, following his serious road traffic accident in December 2024, there will be no formal decision and announcement on his future until such time that it is considered right and appropriate.
“However, as his current contract is also due to expire on 30 June, for the purposes of the Premier League Retained List procedure at the end of the 2024/25 season, Michail will be listed as a free transfer.
“As a long-serving, highly-respected player, and a much-loved member of the West Ham family, the Club’s absolute priority at this time is to support Michail personally in his journey to resume playing at the highest level.”
West Ham announced that Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings and Zouma will all leave, along with youngsters Kamarai Swyer and Brad Dolaghan.
Antonio has been working hard to return to action after suffering a broken leg in the crash. He documented his journey in a video on Instagram, captioned: “Faith will overcome all challenges.”
The video showed Antonio learning to walk again, his emotional return to the London Stadium and reunions with team-mates in hospital and his comeback to training.
Antonio recently vowed to return to the pitch after his life-threatening crash. “Yes, 100 per cent. I will play again,” he said. “It’s the biggest injury I’ve ever had in my career.
“But the fact that I’m already two to three months ahead of where I should be, I know that I’ll play again, and I know that once I’m playing the game I’ll get the sharpness back.
“People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something that I’ve always believed in and this is just another setback, and it is not going to stop me.”
The Jamaica international turned 35 in March, and has made 323 appearances and scored 83 goals for the Hammers since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015
