West Ham United have the joint-third oldest squad in the Premier League this season with an average age of 27.6 according to Transfermarkt.
One player in David Moyes’ squad that contributes to this statistic is Michail Antonio, who, at the age of 32, is West Ham’s third-oldest outfield player.
Despite appearing in 24 games for the Hammers across all competitions this season, the striker has only started 11 of them.
In those appearances, Antonio has found the net five times and supplied three assists for the team.
With the Jamaican’s contract at the London Stadium set to expire in the summer of 2024, it could be assumed that the club may be looking at potential long-term replacements for Antonio.
One player that the east London club have been linked with that we feel could fit this bill is Marseille attacker Bamba Dieng.
Having made 51 senior appearances for the French club across all competitions, the striker has scored 11 goals and delivered four assists prior to Wednesday’s Ligue 1 match against Troyes.
Described as an “explosive” player by Jorge Sampaoli, Dieng has also been likened to former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba in terms of his playing style and attacking play by El-Hadj Diouf.
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This highlights his similarities to Antonio, who has been praised in the past for his “stamina and explosive power” by journalist Sam Inkersole.
Having only started one of the eight Ligue 1 games he’s appeared in this season, a potential move to the Premier League could be very tempting for the 22-year-old, especially after he narrowly missed out on a move to England towards the end of the previous summer transfer window.
Moving forward, if Antonio is likely to be moved out of West Ham when his contract runs out, securing a deal for Dieng either this month or in the summer could be the best option for the club.