Andriy Yarmolenko could remain at West Ham United for the rest of the 2021/22 season, according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee.

What's the word?

Speaking on this week's 'The West Ham Way' podcast, the Irons insider said:

"There have been plans to move him on. They tried to move him on in the summer. The problem is with him is that he is one of the highest earners, if not the highest earner, at the club at the moment.

"So obviously, if you’re not performing in the Premier League, you’re also in your 30s and you’ve got a bit of an injury-prone record, there’s not going to be many particular takers for you.

"So whilst you can try to agree a deal with a club that you might finance half the wages, perhaps to get him off, there’s not going to be that many takers.

"I think with [qualifying for] Europe, they probably made the decision that against European teams with his experience and when a game’s perhaps a little bit slower, and some of the climates, like in eastern Europe, particularly, he might be a bit more used to.

"They made the decision that perhaps this season, he could be a good squad player and then try and deal with his situation at the end of the year, again."

Time to go

The vastly-experienced 102-cap Ukraine international is a rarely-seen figure around the London Stadium these days and considering he's amongst the club's highest earners, reported to be in the region of £115k-per-week, that's an awful waste of money.

Last season, Yarmolenko started just once in the Premier League, whilst his 130 minutes across the top-flight, Carabao Cup and Europa League have flattered to deceive this campaign.

For example, during their 2-1 league defeat to Manchester United a few weeks ago, it was evident that manager David Moyes was far from pleased with what he saw from his substitute, having turned to him to spark a reaction.

Sky Sports commentator Rob Hawthorne said during the game: "I’m not sure David Moyes was entirely happy with the efforts of Andriy Yarmolenko there. Still, the dialogue is ongoing between the West Ham manager and the Ukrainian forward, who he has just brought on. He certainly wants to see more from him."

The 31-year-old cost around £17.5m in summer 2018 but he's been restricted to just 60 senior appearances for the club, largely due to a combination of injuries and his inconsistencies on the pitch.

Yarmolenko has been tipped to leave the east London outfit during the winter transfer window but Ex's latest behind-the-scenes claim seems to pour cold water on such chances.

That aforementioned outing at Old Trafford saw much of the Hammers faithful slam the versatile frontman - some described him as a "waste of space and money", whilst others urged the club to offload him, as relayed by West Ham Zone.

They will not be best pleased with this fresh verdict as it seems as if Moyes and co have decided that he has a part to play this campaign, especially with the club competing in Europe.

Yarmolenko is out of contract at the end of the season, so the Irons may well struggle to offload him much before then too.

AND in other news, Forget Kral: Moyes could find West Ham's perfect Noble heir in £13m-rated "technician"...