Michail Antonio reveals 'disappointment' and blames Graham Potter over West Ham exit as 10-year spell ended in wake of car crash horror

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Antonio detailed his challenging journey over the past two years. After his devastating accident, the 35-year-old was released by the London club in July last year. Despite trying to regain match fitness with two appearances in Premier League 2, collapsed moves to Leicester City and Charlton Athletic due to hamstring injuries ended his hopes of staying in England. Consequently, the forward moved to the Stars League in March this year, joining Al-Sailiya on a short-term contract to revive his playing career.

The veteran attacker did not hide his feelings regarding how his long stint at the London Stadium concluded. Having been a reliable goalscorer for a decade, he expected more loyalty from the hierarchy following his horrific crash. He stated: "I was very disappointed. To be honest, I felt like, being at the club for 10 years, being one of their main players for 10 years, playing up until the day I crashed the car, I started most games until that day, I would have thought they'd have given me an opportunity to try and prove myself after and offer me a contract. But at the end of the day, football is business, and they felt like they were ready to move me on, it is what it is, so they decided to move on and so did I."

When discussing the driving force behind his departure, the Jamaican international firmly pointed the finger at former manager Graham Potter. He believes his exit was part of a broader strategy to remove influential figures from the dressing room. He revealed: "I felt like it was mainly pushed by Graham Potter, I feel like he was just trying to get rid of the old regime... he got rid of a lot of the senior players like me, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Edson Alvarez, players who had more control of the changing rooms. More of the leaders of the group were moved on... I feel like he didn't want anyone with any influence in the changing room to be there, so anyone he had the opportunity to get rid of, he did."

Despite his age and the physical toll of his recent traumas, he refuses to rule out a sensational return to the English top flight. He maintains that his pace, strength, and goalscoring instincts remain entirely intact. Pointing to prior interest from Brentford, he believes he still possesses the required quality for top-tier football. For now, his primary focus is proving his fitness and enjoying the game again, grateful that his career did not end on that fateful night in 2024, whilst waiting to see what options the summer transfer window might bring.