West Ham striker Michail Antonio has signed a new contract in east London until 2023, extending his stay at the club by another two and a half years.
Antonio was out of contract at the Hammers at the end of 2020/21 and has put pen to paper on a new deal that, by the end of it, will have kept him at the club for eight years.
Antonio, who has been a revelation as a striker having switched positions from the wing by manager David Moyes, has netted 12 goals in 2020, eight of them coming last season after lockdown to effectively secure West Ham’s status in the top flight.
He has also netted three more goals in the 2020/21 season but has seen the current campaign interrupted by two hamstring injuries, one which he is currently sidelined with.
Moyes has referred to Antonio as his “talisman” and while Antonio’s potential departure as a free agent next summer was never in doubt, it’s a big boost to the team that he has signed on until 2023.
Antonio told West Ham’s website : “I’ve been here for five-and-a-half years, this season will be six and by the time my contract expires it will be eight years. Before I signed here, the longest I had been at a club was two years, so it shows that I’ve been here, done my work, been able to secure my position and keep growing as a player.
“I got eight goals in one month, so I’ve got two-and-half years now to see how many more I can get and how far I can get.
“I definitely want to get to the 50-goal mark in the Premier League and see how I can go on from there.
Antonio could be involved for the Hammers on Monday night when West Ham face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a London derby as he recovers from his latest hamstring setback.
However, the Hammers have previously said they will not be rushing him back after suffering a number of hamstring injuries throughout his career in the capital.
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