Bye-bye: West Ham could now sell £85,000-a-week Lopetegui regular

West Ham United could now cash in on a Hammers hero in January despite being a regular under Julen Lopetegui.

West Ham off to worrying start under Lopetegui

The Irons have won just one of their opening six Premier League games under Lopetegui, who already appears to be under some early pressure to deliver results at the London Stadium.

Most recently, West Ham travelled to Brentford, where they managed to secure a 1-1 draw after conceding in the first minute. Tomas Soucek scored to grab the visitors a point, with the Hammers just two points above the relegation zone.

Talking after the game, Lopetegui took the positives after coming away from Brentford with a point, saying: “We knew that we had a very tough match, they won both matches here against Southampton and Crystal Palace and we suffered by conceding in the first minute.

“We showed this [Brentford’s record of scoring early] to the players and it’s incredible we suffered. It’s a bad picture to concede so early. “We kept calm and I think we deserved to win the match in the second half, we showed character and commitment.

“We had three or four very clear situations to score a second goal but we didn’t manage it and we take a point. I have to keep positive. We always have to work as a team or we are weaker – I think we did this in the second half.”

West Ham officials and technical director Tim Steidten backed the manager in the transfer window, bringing in several new players and splashing the cash.

As can be seen, one of those was striker Niclas Fullkrug, however, the German has missed the last four games through injury. Danny Ings and Michail Antonio have been used as a result of Fullkrug’s absence, but it looks as if the latter could be on the move in the New Year.

West Ham could now sell Michail Antonio in January

According to a new report from Football Insider, West Ham could cash in on Antonio during the January transfer window, where he will have months remaining on his £85,000-a-week contract.

The report describes Antonio as a cult hero at the club and adds that he has been a regular under Lopetegui, appearing in all but one of West Ham’s eight games this season.

However, the 34-year-old was linked with a summer exit and interest is still lingering, according to FI, with the club willing to entertain offers at the beginning of 2025. Antonio moved to West Ham in September 2015, and he has played a key role in attack during his nine-year stay, justifying his cult hero status.

However, 2025 could be the right time to part ways with the Jamaica international due to his age and contract situation, making this one to watch.