January 16, (THEWILL) – Chelsea’s pursuit of Michail Antonio on loan from West Ham has reportedly hit a snag, based on the positions of the two London clubs.
The 32-year-old attacker, who has fallen out of favour under West Ham manager, David Moyes, could now make a permanent move to Wolverhampton Wanderers instead, which is a preferred option for the Hammers. However, Chelsea is in need of reinforcements due to the absences of several key players including Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Christian Pulisic.
In an effort to bolster their attacking options, Chelsea recently secured a £88 million deal to sign Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. The Blues hijacked Arsenal’s move for the 22-year-old winger and quickly closed the deal after initial meetings at Stamford Bridge. Despite interest from other clubs, Mudryk expressed a desire to move to the English Premier League and Chelsea were able to secure his signature.
While Chelsea appears to be willing to spend big to address their current issues, the short-term loan of Antonio could have also been a viable option. Antonio, who has EPL experience and is a reliable goalscorer, could have provided a valuable boost to the team.
However, with Antonio not in the starting lineup for West Ham in their loss to Wolves over the weekend, the club may be open to offloading him and getting him off their wage bill in this window.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
