Time to let heroic ace go

Andriy Yarmolenko has endured probably the worst few months of his life.

The Ukraine international has seen his homeland invaded by Russia in an appalling act of aggression that has disgusted the world, and has had to work to get his family out of the country so they were not mixed up in the bloodshed.

Yarmo was given time off, naturally, when the invasion happened but since then he has been nothing short of a hero in claret and blue.

We all know what he’s done, but it bears repeating that his goals against Aston Villa and Sevilla were some of the most emotional we’ve ever seen.

But, still, this summer, it’s time to say goodbye to Andriy.

David Moyes is attempting to continue to build the Hammers into a club that is capable of qualifying for Europe every single season, all the while challenging for the biggest trophies in the game.

We cannot do that if we continue to hand out contracts to players who are the wrong side of 30.

Yarmo will be 33 later this year. Handing him a one or two-year-deal just doesn’t make good sense from a financial and squad-building point of view.

The time is right to shake his hand, thank him for his service, and wave him off, hopefully so that he can write a new chapter in his storied career.

We’ll all miss him but the chapter is coming to a close.