After his impressive summer at Euro 2016, the expectation was that it would be Dimitri Payet who would spearhead West Ham’s charge for Europe this season.
Not only have the Hammers spent the first half of the campaign languishing in the bottom half, Payet has struggled to consistently recapture the form that made him a target of a number of top clubs.
Instead, Michail Antonio has undoubtedly been Slaven Bilic’s key man.
The England hopeful’s progress hasn’t gone unnoticed either, with Chelsea now adding him to their target list, as reported in the Daily Mail.
Antonio has netted eight times this season and has scored more headers than any other Premier League player.
What makes him particularly appealing is his versatility, as although Bilic has at times infuriated the London Stadium by playing him as a wing-back, that could make him the perfect fit for Conte’s system.
The Mail suggest that this is unlikely to happen in January, with Chelsea having recalled defender Nathan Ake from his loan spell at Bournemouth.
Unless West Ham improve dramatically over the coming months, though, it’s going to be hard for them to keep hold of players like Antonio and Payet.
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