“West Ham’s SHOCKING £13M Signing: The ULTIMATE Antonio Upgrade That’ll Leave Fans Speechless!”
Michail Antonio will forever be remembered as one of West Ham United’s modern icons.
Earlier this week, the club confirmed that the Jamaican international had departed following the expiration of his contract.
That announcement officially brought an end to a decade-long spell in which Antonio evolved from an unexpected signing into a Premier League record-breaker for the Hammers. Now, Graham Potter is tasked with finding a suitable successor to lead the line.
West Ham’s hunt for a new striker
Antonio arrived at West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015 for a reported £7 million fee. Initially recruited as a right-back, he was gradually redeployed further forward, eventually becoming the club’s most prolific Premier League scorer with 83 goals.
His transformation into a formidable centre-forward made him an irreplaceable figure for much of the past decade.
His last appearance for the Hammers came in December before he suffered a serious car accident, later admitting he had been “close to dying.”
Remarkably, he recovered to feature for Jamaica in all three of their matches at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.
Even at 35, Antonio’s physical presence and work rate will be hard to replicate. But it appears West Ham may have identified a new focal point for their attack.
According to French outlet wiw Sports, the club has reached an agreement in principle over personal terms with Idrissa Gueye of Metz, with negotiations now in their final stages.
Foot Mercato reports that the deal is expected to cost €15 million (around £13 million).
Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund had both shown prior interest in the teenager, but West Ham are now closing in.
If Gueye can achieve even half of Antonio’s success in claret and blue, the move could prove an absolute bargain.
Who is Idrissa Gueye?
At just 18 years old, Gueye is still relatively unknown to many fans. He emerged from Senegal’s famous Génération Foot academy — the same production line that has produced Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Matar Sarr, Papiss Cissé, and former Hammer Diafra Sakho — before joining Metz in January.
Despite arriving midway through the campaign, Gueye scored five goals in 17 Ligue 2 matches, averaging a goal every 222 minutes.
His contributions helped Metz finish third before defeating Dunkerque and Stade Reims in the play-offs to secure promotion back to Ligue 1.
Metz sporting director Frédéric Arpinon has likened Gueye to Olivier Giroud, hoping he might follow a similar career trajectory.
Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has called him “one of the hottest properties” in European football, while Sébastien Denis of Foot Mercato described him as a “diamond” of a striker.
In February, Gueye was named both Metz’s Player of the Month and Ligue 2’s Young Player of the Month, further underlining his rapid rise.
A raw talent with big potential
While Gueye’s numbers are promising, he remains a raw prospect — unsurprising given that only months ago he was still competing in the Senegalese Premier League, ranked 17th strongest in Africa by the CAF.
Yet he has already demonstrated he can adapt quickly to a higher standard.
West Ham’s current striker roster, which includes Niclas Füllkrug and new signing Callum Wilson, offers Gueye the ideal environment to develop.
The experienced duo can shoulder the initial burden, allowing the youngster to learn without immediate pressure to start every week.
According to Global Football Rankings, Ligue 2 is the world’s 30th strongest league and the fifth-best second tier, ahead of the Saudi Pro League.
That means Gueye has already proven his goalscoring ability in a competitive environment — a promising sign for his transition to the Premier League.
Given his physicality, finishing instinct, and rapid progress, Gueye appears to possess the raw tools to thrive in English football.
If nurtured correctly, he could grow into a long-term successor to Antonio, carrying forward the legacy of a player who defined an era for West Ham United.
