West Ham’s signing of Bilic is now “absolutely fire”
The West Ham midfielder has been instrumental in the club’s progress under David Moyes…
“We have signed a world-class player.”
West Ham United chairman David Sullivan said this in June of 2015. At the time, he was co-chairman. Slaven Bilic had been named manager of the club earlier that summer, and he was tasked with bringing the Hammers out of obscurity in the Premier League.
Sullivan’s comment was in relation to the £10 million signing of adroit playmaker Dimitri Payet, who was regarded as one of Europe’s most underappreciated creators.
The Irons were successful in their exploits, blitzing into form in the 2015/16 season and finishing seventh in the Premier League, with Bilic’s French “genius” – as one match commentator claimed after that assist – being the fulcrum of his side’s success, racking up 12 goals and 15 assists across all competitions and etching his name into Hammers folklore.
However, the small gem’s time in east London was short-lived, with his second season proving problematic; he was dissatisfied with life at the club, and his form had permeated into the dressing room. Bilic stated to the press in January 2017 that his precocious star wanted to go. That was the end of her writing.
Payet deservedly grabbed the spotlight. For one brief season, West Ham was bestowed with a once-in-a-lifetime player, the type that launches you out of your seat like a trebuchet, mouth gaping open and stars in your eyes.
There was another, though, who signed a contract with the Irons in the summer of 2015, which some would claim was the beginning of the renewed success that was cultivated following David Moyes’ second appointment in December 2019, which, as we all know, has paid off handsomely.
Michail Antonio is the name of that individual. Under the radar at the time, the energetic ace is now a fixture of recent exploits, leaving London with a lasting, silver-laden legacy.
How much did West Ham sign Michail Antonio for?
Deadline day, 2015. An annual occurrence often filled with trepidation as clubs hurry to conclude deals and provide their squads with good chances to succeed in their seasonal goals.
West Ham had really hired Bilic and added Payet, as well as Angelo Ogbonna and Manuel Lanzini, to their roster.
Antonio, a 25-year-old forward from Nottingham Forest, signed for a sum in the region of £7 million, rejecting offers from Derby County and West Bromwich Albion earlier that day.
It was a little fee for an energetic and athletic athlete who had just finished the season with the Tricky Trees with 14 goals and 14 assists.
Antonio would be an unused substitute in seven of his first eight Premier League matches, coming off the bench for half an hour in the other, and despite growing into his skin and scoring 11 goals across all competitions in his debut year – including eight goals from 23 league starts – few expected the powerhouse to become a stalwart.
Michail Antonio, how good are you?
Fast forward to the present day, and Moyes has led West Ham to the Europa Conference League trophy, ending an interminable wait for a major honour – United’s last major silverware came in the 1980 FA Cup – and West Ham have entered the 2023/24 Premier League season prepared for a third consecutive continental campaign.
They’ve also started well, preparing for a challenging match against Manchester City after winning three straight games, including triumphs over Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, after drawing with Bournemouth on the south coast.
Antonio has scored twice in his first four appearances of the season, extending his record as the club’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer with 63 strikes.
Heralded as a “special” star by his manager, the 33-year-old has forged 280 displays, scoring 77 goals and providing 43 assists in total, and was instrumental in the gleaning of the Conference League.
Only a rampant Mohamed Salah outscored the 12-cap Jamaica international in 2021, a further tribute to a player described as “absolutely on fire” by pundit and Premier League great Rio Ferdinand.
Antonio is getting older, but he is still a powerful option who scored 14 goals across all competitions last season, including six goals from seven starts in the Conference League, which was crucial to the club’s ascent through the rounds.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 11% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90, further illustrating the distinctive set of skills that he brings to the table, and has done so with such prolific conviction over his years as a Hammer.
If West Ham had opted to cash in on the £85k-per-week superstar at some time over the past few years, Antonio would not have commanded the most lucrative transfer fee, with Football Transfers only ever listing his maximum worth at £15m, in 2022.
However, when examining his effect across the 280 games he has made for the team, it’s clear that his role has been considerable, scoring 30 Premier League goals in just 86 appearances from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
A fantastic striker who will be remembered fondly for his vital part in this rising West Ham team, and he’s not even through yet.
