‘No formal decision' on Michail Antonio future as West Ham announce retained list
Antonio's current contract is due to expire on June 30 and the Jamaica international is still sidelined after being involved in a car crash in December, which left him with a broken femur.
It was announced on Monday that Antonio will appear in the Premier League's retained list as a 'free transfer', but West Ham's current priority is to help him on the road to recovery.
West Ham United has issued the Club's Retained List of players at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Read the full statement below ⬇️
— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 9, 2025
'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,' a West Ham club statement read.
'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.'
It had already been announced that Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings would depart at the end of their contracts this month.
Ex-West Ham captain Kurt Zouma, currently on-loan to Al-Orobah of the Saudi Pro League, will also leave the club on June 30.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Thomas Frank has TEN priorities to sort at Tottenham: Big decisions to be made over six key players... and the one star he could bring Brentford
Thomas Frank arrives at Tottenham as the euphoria fades after the club's first trophy in 17 years and the first in Europe for 41, but there is still plenty to do. This is not Arne Slot swanning into Liverpool and tweaking a little bit here and there. There is lots for him to get stuck into as he makes the step up from Brentford into the glare that accompanies one of England's most illustrious clubs. Harness the spirit of Bilbao… With the long wait finally over, Frank's primary task is to ensure Spurs build on the Europa League win and do not allow the feelgood factor to slide away with Ange Postecoglou. That's both in terms of the mood among fans and inside the training ground. At 51, and with nearly 30 years of coaching behind him, Frank is mature enough to appreciate Postecoglou's achievement and not plunge in and tear it all up in an impatient scramble to impose his own ideas. Among his strengths are common sense, pragmatism and adaptability. He understands the landscape. He knows what works in English football and he fits a similar profile to the two most successful managerial appointments made in 24 years by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino both moved up to Tottenham having over-achieved in the Premier League. Redknapp at West Ham and Portsmouth. Pochettino at Southampton. Some Spurs players might have been sorry to see Postecoglou go but the idea the dressing room will be distraught is unrealistic. They are professional footballers, they know the score and they will soon move on to figuring out if the new boss will be good or bad for them. Collective success is one of the great binding agents in sport. Postecoglou was popular because he forged the spirit that led them to the trophy and Frank can use this to his advantage if he is smart, which he is. His interpersonal skills are admired. He likes to foster close relationships with his players. He will soon find the way to connect. Early messages to fans will have to be pitched carefully, too, but he is an excellent communicator. Expect to see him praising Postecoglou for his work and promising to build on the foundations. Don't lose the flair… When he was promoted with Brentford in 2021, Frank prioritised three things: to be defensively tight, super fit and threaten from set pieces. This they did. They were big, physically imposing, aggressive in and out of possession and carried an aerial threat. They roughed up some of the elite clubs and survived despite one of the lowest budgets. Spurs are not newly promoted or low budget but after the wild inconsistencies of last season could do worse than adopt some of these basics for next season. They have been beset by injuries, fragile at the back and nothing special at set pieces for two years. At the same time, to lose the flair would be the fast lane to losing the fans, many of whom were disappointed to see Postecoglou sacked despite winning the Europa League. Frank must quickly strike a balance as he did last season when Brentford added new layers to their style. They were less direct, played out from the back, and increased their share of possession although it was still typically less than 50 per cent. They became more creative, had more efforts at goal and scored more. And remained excellent on set-pieces at both ends, spirited and tough to beat. There is plenty of adventure in the Tottenham squad, but two of the most creative players, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, are recovering from serious knee injuries. Kulusevski is expected to miss the start of the new season and Maddison's preseason could be delayed. Find the right tactical plan… Frank is not a coach wed to a strict tactical philosophy. The opposite, in fact. His past shows he can assess the capabilities of a squad and forge a plan to get the best from it. He is adaptable and flexible, but once he weighs it all up, his teams are well-drilled and organised. They know what they are trying to do. At Brentford, he has deployed a back four (4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3) and a back three (3-4-3) and often flexing from a back four into a back three when in possession, releasing one full back more readily than the other with an aim to disrupt and overload opponents. This was effective with Keane Lewis-Potter and Kristoffer Ajer as his full backs and it is easy to envisage with Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in similar roles. Van de Ven has all the attributes to play the Ajer role on the left of a back four but as one of Tottenham's bigger stars, will it be easy to dislodge him from the centre of defence? Probably not. Postecoglou's high defensive line is not likely to survive a summer of change. Nor the inverted full backs. Up front, Frank likes pace to enable a quick counterattack and will find plenty of that at his disposal from speed merchants like Heung-min Son, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson. He would love to bring in Bryan Mbeumo, who looks set to leave Brentford, but the proposed £270,000 a week reportedly on offer at Manchester United would smash the current wage structure at Spurs. Johnson and Archie Gray, incidentally, were both set to sign for Brentford when their heads were turned by a move to North London. Midfielders with the defensive acumen to provide protection might be harder to come by. Yves Bissouma, with only one year on his contract, is a players Spurs were ready to sell if the price was right. Gray and Lucas Bergvall are talented but young and this is an area of the pitch where they realise there is a need to improve and where Frank will want more physical power. Son Heung-min… The biggest of the big decisions. The captain and commercial star of Spurs is 33 next month with only a year left on his contract. He did not seem keen to sign a new, extended deal before his latest one-year extension clause was triggered. Nor has his form been particularly good. Chairman Levy will be opposed to the idea of Son walking out on a free next year. If genuine interest emerges from Saudi Arabia, then it makes sense to consider selling. Ultimately, it should be a decision for the new boss. Can Frank see a key role in the team for Son? If not, does he feel strongly about keeping him in the dressing room to lead standards and using him more sparingly? Or is it time to bid him farewell and let him pocket a small fortune in Saudi or the USA? A few more big decisions… Bissouma is not the only established player facing uncertainty. Cristian Romero is keen on a move to Atletico Madrid and, with two years on his contract, it makes sense to sell and generate transfer funds. As with Son and Bissouma, the sooner these things are sorted out the better. There is no sense in keeping a disgruntled senior player if his heart is set on leaving. Kevin Danso's loan move from Lens has been made permanent, although, with Radu Dragusin out since January and still on his way back from a cruciate knee injury, Frank could do with reinforcements in central defence. It might provide the chance to sign someone who knows how he works, such as Nathan Collins, a centre-half who has grown in stature since his £23million move from Wolves to Brentford in 2023. Ben Davies is ready to leave in search of regular football. Wrexham are among those interested but Spurs triggered the clause for his contract to be extended by one more year and will want a fee. There is an option to sign Mathys Tel for £45m from Bayern Munich after his six months on loan. There have been reports Levy is trying to renegotiate the fee after Tel's underwhelming form while Bayern are not in a hurry to sell and it could all end with another loan deal. Hopefully, Frank will have some say. His background in youth development is an attraction for Tottenham as they follow a recruitment strategy to sign young players and improve them. Others on the periphery, coming into the club or returning from loan spells for the new boss to assess include Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Dorrington, Luka Vuskovic, George Abbott and Yang Min-Hyeok. And one more, in goal… As a coach obsessed with set pieces, Frank will have analysed the perceived weaknesses of Guglielmo Vicario, including his inability to take control in the crowds at corners and free kicks. Vicario, one of Tottenham's few vocal leaders in the dressing room and a big personality has been prone to mistakes since his return from injury last season. Perhaps this is down to disruption in defence and his confidence could benefit if Frank moulds the team to give him more protection, with a deeper defensive line and less time with the ball at his feet. 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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Emma Raducanu becomes British No1 for first time in two years after beating star who's blind in one eye at Queen's
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