West Ham insider @ExWHUEmployee has reported that Aaron Cresswell appears to be having a late change of heart by agreeing to a one-year extension to his West Ham contract, which was due to end next month.
The West Ham left-back signed a one-year extension back in 2023 with an option for a further year.
Last summer, Cresswell was close to a £2.5 million move to Wolves under Julen Lopetegui, who is said to be a big admirer, before the Spanish manager suddenly departed the Premier League club last August, causing Cresswell’s deal to collapse.
It’s safe to assume, therefore, that Lopetegui has given the green light to the contract extension and quite possibly has given assurances to Cresswell.
This is bound to spell the end for Hammers academy graduate Ben Johnson, who has been overlooked in favour of Cresswell in recent matches.
It also appears to confirm claims from within the club that they were concentrating on recruiting central defenders rather than full-backs in the Summer window.
READ MORE: ‘He could be ban’: FA begins investigation into West Ham player
A West Ham star could find himself in hot water with UEFA due to comments made following his side’s elimination from the Europa League.
On the whole, West Ham fans have made a great example of themselves over the past few years. Unfortunately, there’s been a few times where they’ve let themselves down. Rice’s comments after the Frankfurt tie, the cup being thrown during the Conference League final and fighting come to mind.
However, one of West Ham’s star players could face a ban due to his comments after the Hammers were defeated on aggregate by Bayer Leverkusen, according to The Mirror.
Michail Antonio has never been afraid to speak his mind. His podcast is certainly controversial due to that, but sometimes a lot of good comes out of his mouth. In particular, his recent openness surrounding his struggles with mental health was heartbreaking yet refreshing to hear. His comments after the match though were perhaps better unsaid though.
”I felt like I didn’t get a decision all game. I felt a bit frustrated. We felt like we deserved more. Sometimes the decisions don’t go your way. We move on, build on that and try to get into the Europa League next year.”
“It doesn’t feel like you’re playing against 11 men, it feels like you’re playing against 13 or 14 including the two linos. You have to keep pushing and try and make the decisions go your way, but they just weren’t. We had to keep playing our way and keep being professional.”
While it was an absolutely bizarre and borderline scandalous display from Jose Maria Sanchez, as a professional footballer you simply can’t come out and say those things. He may have been praised by the East London faithful for it but he now risks being unavailable for the Hammers future European games – assuming he is still at the club when they next qualify.
His anger was just, but that doesn’t mean you come out and say it publicly as it just harms himself and the club going forward.
