West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has said that the promise of more game time could have been the reason behind Jesse Lingard’s decision to sign for Nottingham Forest over the Hammers this summer.
Lingard was the subject of interest from a number of Premier League clubs in the transfer window after leaving Manchester United at the end of his contract last season. It was widely thought that the midfielder would opt to rejoin West Ham after a successful loan spell with the club in 2020/21.
The England man however chose to sign a one-year deal with Nottingham Forest, with an option for a second season. It’s a decision that Antonio says has left the Hammers’ squad without a key player.
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"I definitely was disappointed," Antonio told Footballer's Football Podcast . "He was quality for us, he was a massive player.
"He helped push us and he was one of the reasons why we did finish in Europe. We were looking forward to him [coming back] and he was a player who we definitely need right now in our squad. So the fact that we didn't get him and Forest did is... it's a great signing for Forest.”
The forward also shared a theory as to why Lingard chose Forest over West Ham, despite feeling that the London Stadium was ‘better suited’ to the player this season.
"I just put it down to he wanted to go somewhere where he can play week in, week out,” he added. "At West Ham there's loads of competition - there's me, there's Said [Benrahma], there's Declan [Rice], there's Tomas [Soucek] and there's Jarrod Bowen, because he plays in midfield and up top.
"So he might have thought he might not get as much game time [at West Ham] or he decided that Forest was better suited for him as it was closer to home. I don't really know the reason behind it.
"I feel West Ham are probably better suited to push on and progress his career - obviously with playing European football and stuff like that - but he probably likes the challenge, wants to go there and enjoy his football and see where he can get Forest in the league."
Lingard could make his Forest debut in the Premier League opener on Saturday afternoon. The Reds travel to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United in what will be the club’s first Premier League game in over 23 years.
