Can West Ham keep Arnautovic and get the best out of him?
West Ham held onto Arnautovic in the January transfer window despite interest from China. What will come of the Austrian this summer?
When Marko Arnautovic is in top form, there’s only a handful of strikers in the Premier League who are better all round players. He has power, pace, an eye for goal and an attitude that means he would run through a brick wall to score. The only issue is that West Ham don’t seem to be able to get the best out of him consistently.
So if the club get an offer for him that’s below what they really want, but still a decent amount of money, do we let him go? Or does Pellegrini back his ability to help the Austrian get over the past season of turbulence to help him re-find his best form in Claret and Blue?
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For me the best outcome is we keep the striker and he gets back somewhere close to his best. He’s a very good player and I don’t think we’re in the position to be able to replace him with a player of similar calibre for a reasonable price. Yes I know we’ll get some money in if Hernandez and Perez leave but will we get enough to get a striker we’re happy to put all our goal hopes on? Probably not.
But I do worry that his head has been turned so much that it’s a lost cause now. Can he really re-commit to the West Ham cause now? If he’s not at his best and we get a 25m+ offer for him I can’t imagine that we will refuse it. Pellegrini is the kind of man that will have a list of potential replacements based on price point, and will wait until some sales are at least close to being confirmed before making his move.
West Ham are one player away from a solid defence. dark. Next
If Arnie is a Hammer next season, I will be happy. It is unlikely there will be no offers, and Pellegrini has made it clear he doesn’t want players that aren’t interested in playing their part. So if he stays it’s because everyone wants it to happen and Pellegrini trusts him. If he’s gone it’s because the man in charge says it’s OK. Trust in Pellegrini. He’ll improve us every season he’s here.