Green Street Hammers
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Pellegrini makes his position clear as West Ham hold onto Arnautovic

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of West Ham United gives instructions to Marko Arnautovic of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on January 12, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of West Ham United gives instructions to Marko Arnautovic of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on January 12, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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West Ham look to be keeping Marko Arnautovic until the summer, a plus in some people’s books and a drain in others. Either way, Pellegrini has shown he won’t be dictated to by his players.

It’s only 2 years since we had that fateful press conference from Bilic in which he said that West Ham would be losing Payet. But in their response to the Arnautovic pressure they have held firm. By doing so Pellegrini has shown that he is in charge. What he says goes.

Arnautovic might not be happy with the outcome, but it’s fair. We hold the contract and at the end of the day we should be choosing who gets to leave and who stays. If the offer isn’t good enough then it’s not good enough, end of discussion. But for too long we’ve been a selling club.

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With Pellegrini in charge I already felt as though we had made the move towards being a bigger club. We’d picked a manger who has won trophies all over the world and someone that was a huge step up on the few previous managers. But what he’s also brought to the club is a different attitude with him. He hasn’t been dictated to by players before, and he wasn’t going to be now.

It sends out a signal to the rest of the side and to anyone thinking of joining. Someone like Felipe Anderson, a Brazilian who joined from an Italian side has no real loyalty or romance in terms of attraction to the club, but now he will be under no doubts that he plays for the club until they want to let him go, not until he wants to leave. Players joining won’t see us as a stepping stone club, but a club who wants to grow and show ambition.

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I have said a few times that Pellegrini was the signing of the season, and I really do think he has changed the club. Can he now get Arnautovic to perform to the best of his ability for the rest of the season? That’s another big ask, but one I think he might be up to.