Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell and 3 other West Ham stars free to negotiate Irons exit in January

West Ham United have seven players in their squad whose contracts are currently set to expire in the summer, leaving the club hierarchy with some major decisions to make as soon as January.

Players in the final six months of their respective deals are free to hold pre-contract talks with foreign clubs, allowing them to find their next move before their current deal comes to an end. That means five of West Ham’s permanent players who are out of contract can begin talks with teams outside of England from January. Two more players will see their loan deals run out, as they are not signed with the Hammers permanently. However, their loan moves do include options to buy but the pre-contract rules do not permit them to speak with other teams as they still have contracts with their parent clubs.

Danny Ings

First up is Danny Ings, who joined West Ham back in 2023. He hasn’t been at his best during his stint with the Hammers, having scored just four goals in 40 Premier League appearances. It looks very unlikely that West Ham will give the former Liverpool man a new deal before the end of the season - according to TBR Football in August, Julen Lopetegui has ‘no place’ for Ings in his squad.

Vladimir Coufal

Recently, West Ham activated a clause in Vladimir Coufal’s contract that saw it extended until the summer of 2025. However, he was upset with this, according to a report from The Athletic - he would have rather been handed a new contract. He is currently playing second fiddle to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was snapped up in the summer. At the age of 31, a new deal for the player looks unlikely at this stage.

Michail Antonio

If Michail Antonio leaves the club next summer - along with a crop of other talents featured in this list - it will mark a real watershed moment for West Ham, given the amount of time they have spent at the club. According to a report from Football Insider back in April, this appears to be the case. Antonio has been an excellent servant to the Hammers over the years, but at the age of 34, his effectiveness on the pitch is beginning to dwindle.

Aaron Cresswell

Like Antonio, Cresswell is well outside of his prime years. He is a well-liked figure at the club, having been with the Irons since 2014 - however, his time could soon be up. He signed a one-year extension with West Ham back in June. This indicates that they are looking to move him on in the summer - if they wanted to keep him beyond this point, they would have most likely given him a new contract.

Lukasz Fabianski

Again, Fabianski was given a contract extension last season, but was not given a new deal. He is now 39 years old - by the time his contract reaches its end, he will be 40. While he is still a capable backup option, despite his advanced age, there is nothing to indicate that West Ham will give him a new deal before his contract expires.

Jean-Clair Todibo

Jean-Clair Todibo is not signed permanently to West Ham - he is at the club on loan from OGC Nice, with an option to buy clause. Should they choose to exercise this, they will be required to pay the Ligue 1 club £35 million.

While he was seen as one of the Hammers’ marquee signings in the summer, he has only been named in two of their Premier League starting XIs this summer. Nevertheless, given his coveted status, it is likely that they will hand him a permanent deal in 2025.

Carlos Soler

In the same vein as Todibo, Soler is at West Ham on loan, but has an option to buy clause in his deal. He has gone under the radar thus far, but has proven to be a calm operator in the heart of midfield.

Currently, there is no indication as to whether the Irons will take him on permanently or not. His PSG contract does not run out until 2027 - as such, the Parisian giants do not need West Ham to snap him up, either.