Michail Antonio has opened up on his West Ham exit, life in Qatar and whether he believes a Premier League return is still on the cards.Antonio, who was released by the Hammers in August after his life-threatening car crash, joined Qatari side Al Sailiya last month.West Ham legend Antonio has opened up on his latest transfer and Hammers exitGettyThe switch to the Middle East came after moves to Charlton Athletic and Leicester City collapsed due to his untimely injuries.But the 35-year-old striker is enjoying life in Qatar so far and he still has belief in his own ability after bouncing back from his accident.Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs from Doha, Antonio has discussed his new club, why he was let go by West Ham and even weighed in on the Premier League‘s relegation battle too.Life in Doha“The move came about through Mason Holgate,” Antonio first revealed when speaking about his decision to join Al Sailiya.“I was training with Charlton, I was there for a week or so, and then I was meant to sign for them, but something showed up on my scan, something in my hamstring… I tore my hamstring the day before I was going to sign for Leicester.“I had the scan at Charlton on the Friday and then on the Monday, Mason called me and was like: ‘Our strikers are injured, what do you think about coming out here?’“To be honest, I wasn’t very up for it at first, I’ve got my kids in the UK…but he said there’s only six weeks left of the season, short-term contract, did I want to come out.“So I flew out, the facilities out here are quality, it’s better than how I’d thought it would be, the pitches are so good, soft and smooth.“There’s good weather, one game a week, the tempo isn’t as fast as in the Championship, I felt like this was the right step for me and where I am in my football career.”He then went on to discuss what life is currently like in Doha, amid the ongoing conflict in the area: “Since I’ve been here, you do hear loud bangs and stuff, but you never really get to see anything.Antonio is currently playing in Qatar for Al Sailiya after making the move in FebruaryINSTAGRAM“So, I’ve not had the experience of anything crazy going on here, so that’s the reason I do feel quite safe here…it reassures me that I’m okay here and I’m safe here.“The day I was meant to make my debut, that was a frightening day, hearing bombs and the hotel was shaking, that was terrifying… I looked out the window and saw flames from the bombs flying, that was the only day that was scary for me.”On Doha in general, he continued: “It’s very nice here…but what I’ve seen so far, the weather is nice out here, it’s very chilled, I’d compare it to Abu Dhabi…it’s like the Surrey of London! You’ve got nice restaurants, you can have a few drinks, nice beaches here.”West Ham exitAntonio then opened up on his departure from West Ham, which came when the club did not renew his contract last summer.“I was very disappointed,” he admitted. “To be honest, I felt like, being at the club for 10 years, being one of their main players for 10 years, playing up until the day I crashed the car, I started most games until that day, I would have thought they’d have given me an opportunity to try and prove myself after and offer me a contract.“But at the end of the day, football is business, and they felt like they were ready to move me on, it is what it is, so they decided to move on and so did I.” The veteran striker has blamed Potter for his departure from West Ham last summerGettyWhen asked how that decision was communicated to him, he chuckled before replying: “I’m not going to go over it, it’s pointless, it’s one of those things that they decided they wanted to move on.“I felt like it was mainly pushed by Graham Potter, I feel like he was just trying to get rid of the old regime…he got rid of a lot of the senior players like me, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Edson Alvarez, players who had more control of the changing rooms.“More of the leaders of the group were moved on… I feel like he didn’t want anyone with any influence in the changing room to be there, so anyone he had the opportunity to get rid of, he did.”Potter ended up being sacked just a month after Antonio left West Ham, with the striker remembering: “That was part of my frustration.“He wasn’t doing well anyway at the club, but they had to stick by him and make a big decision on my career and then not long later, he was gone… but it is what it is, it’s football, that’s how it goes, I can’t live in that, I just need to do the right things for me.”He clarified: “I love the club and how I was treated there for the last 10 years… one of the people I’ve always thanked is Dave Sullivan for how he’s treated me over the years, I have no resentment to him.”Antonio made sure to express his love for West Ham despite his rough exitGettyPremier League return?Antonio hasn’t played a Premier League game since December 2024 and following his car crash and move to Qatar, there are doubts that the veteran will ever return to the top-flight.But he still believes it’s possible, saying: “I think I’m capable. I’ve not lost my strength, my pace, and my ability to score… and considering Brentford wanted to sign me, considering how well they’ve been doing, shows that I have the ability to do it.”“I need to live in the present and make sure I do everything right and then whatever comes in the summer will come,” he added on what his next career move could be.“Obviously, it’s a short-term contract, but I was focusing more on my career not ending in a car crash, and I’ve managed to achieve that, come back and play some football.“I do [think interest will come for me]… when I got the offers from Brentford, Leicester… I managed to get injured twice, the day before I was going to sign my contract.“I’ve definitely still got the mobility to do the job, I’ve just got to show that I can stay fit…but I wouldn’t put it past myself to stay here as well. Right now, I’m just focusing on me.”Antonio still believes that he could return to the Premier League in the futureGettyWho will get relegated? With his former club, West Ham, involved in the Premier League relegation battle this season, Antonio backed his old side and predicted that Tottenham can’t survive the fight.“If you look at West Ham’s form among the bottom group, they definitely have the best form,” he said. “So, I would believe that off the performances right now, they will be safe. I think it’s going to be between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.”Pushed to make a prediction, Antonio stated: “I honestly believe it’s going to be Tottenham. It’s a crazy shout, but I feel like Forest are naturally used to being down there and Tottenham aren’t, and it’s about the resilience and being able to fight.“I don’t know if Spurs have that fight down there to get themselves out of it.“The pressure piles when you’re down there, when you’re pushing for Champions League, it’s a different pressure to pushing in a relegation fight, it’s completely different.“The mistakes that they’ve been making recently as well shows they need to build up on their luck and it’s just not going their way.”