West Ham’s seven million pound summer signing will be a hit at the Boleyn Ground
When Michail Antonio joined Nottingham Forest in August 2014, fans were unconvinced by the one-and-a-half million pound signing. He had shown streaks of quality at Sheffield Wednesday, but his game was far from consistent and he often went missing. Most fans of the reds were far more excited about Britt Assombalonga, their record signing who destroyed League One defences for Peterborough the season before, or by Michael Mancienne, whose signing from Hamburger SV was seen as something of a coup.
It didn’t take Antonio long to prove his doubters wrong though, as he hit the season running, and through the Autumn was going neck to neck with Assombalonga for top scorer, not just at Forest, but in the whole of the Championship. While those giddy days couldn’t last for Forest and their season began to fall apart, Antonio kept up his good form and ended being named the club’s player of the season.
With a transfer embargo putting pay to Forest’s hope of a return to the Premiership this season, before a ball had even been kicked, it was inevitable that clubs would be circling to try and pick off some of the Reds’ brightest talents. The East Midlands club managed to keep hold of Mancienne and Henri Lansbury, but with Antonio wanting premiership football, the club couldn’t realistically turn down what was in fairness a decent price from West Ham.
Like many Championship signings, critics will be wondering if Antonio has what it takes to be a regular in the top-flight. Compared to the deadline day signings of Victor Moses, Alex Song, and Nikica Jelavic, Michail Antonio is a bit of an unknown quantity for Hammers fans, but what he does bring to the table is pace and power, and lots of it at that. Last season defenders were unable to deal with his speed and strength with West Ham’s new number thirty grabbing fourteen goals and twelve assists in 2014/15. Not only that, but he managed those figures in a very average Forest side, who often relied so heavily on Antonio that their tactics were one-dimensional, causing opposition defences to be wary of his threat.
However, awareness and prevention are two different things as Rotherham United found out last March. In that match Antonio picked up the ball deep inside his own half, beat the three Rotherham players who could actually get near him, before smashing the ball into the bottom corner from twenty-five yards out. That goal, and others like it, led to some of the City Ground faithful tentatively comparing him to another ex-Forest striker Stan Collymore, who went on the play for Liverpool and England, and is still regarded as a hero on the banks of the Trent.
As well as being a threat when cutting inside, Antonio can beat defenders on the outside through sheer pace alone, often employing the trick of hitting the ball on one side of the defender, then sprinting past him on the opposite side before crossing the ball in, often for Assombalonga to get on the end of for a simple tap-in. Given West Ham’s propensity for counter-attacking football, Antonio will be absolutely devastating against any team that dares give him space to run into. Most players with his power and pace are let down by their first touch, but for his size, Antonio has great technique. His classy goal against Fulham early last season is proof of this. Taking a long ball under control and spinning his marker all in one smooth touch before curling the ball into the far corner with his second touch, Antonio’s goal in that match wouldn’t have looked out of place in a collection of Dennis Bergkamp’s top-ten goals. A boyhood Hammers fan, Michail will give it all for his new club and, if given a chance, will produce some memorable moments in the upcoming season.
