This summer has already seen a string of big-name exits from the London Stadium.
Vladimír Coufal has been replaced at right-back by Kyle Walker-Peters, long-time servant Aaron Cresswell has joined Stoke City, and both Łukasz Fabiański and Danny Ings have been quietly released. Even Kurt Zouma is gone—and, frankly, few tears were shed on that front.
But now comes the biggest farewell of the lot.
West Ham have confirmed that Michail Antonio, the club’s longest-serving current player and all-time Premier League top scorer, has officially been released.
The 35-year-old has not featured at senior level since a devastating car crash in December nearly cost him his life. While he made a handful of appearances this summer—including three for Jamaica at the Concacaf Gold Cup and one outing with the U21s—his time with the first team is now over.
Despite that, the door isn’t fully closed. Talks are said to be ongoing over a potential role in the club’s academy setup, likely as a mentor or coach—a sign of the esteem in which he’s still held in East London.
A Modern Hammers Legend
Signed for £7 million from Nottingham Forest back in 2015, Antonio has done it all in claret and blue.
He made 323 appearances across all competitions, scored 83 goals, and was instrumental in some of the club’s greatest recent moments—including starting the 2023 UEFA Conference League final win that ended a 43-year trophy drought.
Perhaps most impressively, he leaves the club as West Ham’s record Premier League goal scorer, with 68 goals in 268 top-flight matches. That’s more than Paolo Di Canio, more than Carlton Cole, more than anyone in claret and blue has ever managed in the modern era.
The club’s statement made it clear: “Michail will always be a much-loved and respected member of the West Ham United family.” They’ve also pledged to continue supporting him in his rehab, offering access to facilities and medical care.
He was unpredictable, powerful, often unplayable, and in the eyes of former boss David Moyes, “instrumental”—and for many fans, simply irreplaceable.
A Hammers hero, through and through.
