West Ham’s all time leading Premier League goalscorer Michail Antonio has reportedly held talks with Championship side Charlton Athletic over a potential move to the Addicks.

Antonio has been a free agent since leaving the Hammers last summer following the expiry of his contract. He was said to have been offered a “pay as you play” deal, but no agreement was reached between him and the club. The 35 year old spent a decade in East London, making more than 300 appearances for West Ham. Although club captain Jarrod Bowen is hot on his heels, Antonio remains the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer with 68 goals.

His playing career was brought to a traumatic halt following a serious car crash in late 2024, which left him with multiple leg fractures. Remarkably, he was back in training within six months.  Since the accident, Antonio made three substitute appearances for Jamaica at the Gold Cup last summer and featured twice for West Ham’s U21 side last August. The forward is yet to play a competitive minute at club level since his accident 14 months ago.

After leaving West Ham, the 35 year old spent time training with Brentford and Championship side Leicester City. Neither club opted to offer the former Hammer a contract, with Antonio reportedly picking up an injury during his spell with Leicester.

West Ham spent around £50 million on forwards in the January transfer window following the arrivals of Taty Castellanos and Pablo. Frustratingly, the latter has now picked up an injury and is set for a spell on the sidelines.

This has raised the question of whether the Hammers should explore the free agent market to bolster their ranks until the end of the season. Current centre forwards out of contract include the likes of Paco Alcacer, Divock Origi, Diego Costa, Manolo Gabbiadini and Odion Ighalo.

None of the kinds of names out there have done anything of note in their careers for quite some time. Alcacer, formerly of Valencia, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund is arguably the standout name. At 32, he still has something to offer and has proven goal scoring pedigree in both Spain and Germany. That being said, he has not played in Europe since the 21/22 season having played in the Middle East recently where his numbers were far from impressive.

Some supporters have put forward the idea of resigning Antonio on a short term deal. When you consider his experience, proven Premier League pedigree, success leading the line for the Hammers during their time in Europe, the fact he is loved by fans, and understands the club’s culture, their is certainly an argument there.

Unfortunately Antonio was not afforded the opportunity to say goodbye to the club’s supporters. While there is logic behind the argument of resigning Antonio on a short term deal, context is key. With no competitive minutes in well over a year and his fitness levels unclear, there would be serious question marks as to whether he could still perform at top flight level.

A move to a Championship side, with hopes of reigniting his club career, seems a logical next step for the 35 year old. Should his move to the Addicks go through, Hammers supporters will no doubt wish the club’s leading Premier League goalscorer the very best in the next chapter of his career.