Uh oh, Marko Arnautovic wants to come back to West Ham

Just when West Ham are on the hunt for another striker, a petulant mercenary more than familiar with East London makes it very clear he wants his return to West Ham.

If you follow West Ham social media you’ve seen the stories emerging; Marko Arnautovic wants back in with the Irons, and he chose an extremely public way to spread that message. Commenting on Arthur Masuaku‘s Instagram live, Arnautovic wrote:

"“Tell them that West Ham need me i come bro no worries.”"

Not so hidden of a message, was it? Arnautovic has made it quite clear that despite moderate success abroad in China (but no trophies to speak of), he’s still got East London on his mind and would be open to coming back. To be honest, it seems like he really wants to be back and is extremely well versed in how Hammers supporters use Instagram.

Let’s start with the negative, of which there are two glaring issues. First, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and for Arnautovic this means that respect and loyalty will always be in question. He left the Hammers in a bad way, he forced his move away, he held out from the first team, and he wanted to be heralded as a hero when he returned to do his job.

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Second, he’s just about 31 and that really goes against manager David Moyes’ plan to rebuild West Ham as a young, hungry team. A move for an older player contradicts this, but would a depth striker signing who is proven in the league really be all that detrimental?

Next, the rules of engagement would have to be written in stone and made very clear if Moyes resigns his former hitman. Low base wages with performance, goal, and starting bonuses must be the way a new deal would be structured. Say 50k per week base, with incentives for him to boost that up.

Also, no introjection from his agent and brother Danijel Arnautovic. This man poisoned the well with false rumours and shopped Arnautovic publically, dragging the club through the mud prior to his move to China. Any attempt to force a move away or to leave the club should result in an immediate pay cut or returned wages.

To be honest, a reunion between Arnautovic and West Ham could be exactly what the team needs to push them forward. As it stands, Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio are a great duo, but neither can offer depth at left-wing and more importantly the ability to play as a solo striker.

Next. West Ham should shop American in Germany for Striker depth. dark

Sure, the rest of the footballing world would probably laugh at us if we resign Arnautovic. But, the laughter would end when he starts banging in the goals and helped Moyes re-aim the Hammers’ trajectory up the table. It wouldn’t be an easy decision to bring Arnautovic back, but could anyone deny the end product?

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