Three reasons West Ham should steer clear of signing Marko Arnautovic
According to Sky Sports, West Ham United have had a £15m bid for Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic turned down after the Austrian handed a transfer request in on Monday.
The report says that the Potters aren’t keen to sell the 28-year-old, who is currently on tour with his team in Switzerland four years after he moved to the Britannia Stadium from Werder Bremen, but the Hammers are ready to return with an improved offer.
Irons manager Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his attacking options this summer following a disappointing first campaign in the London Stadium, and he has been linked with a whole host of attacking players already this summer, although the Croatian seems determined to get a deal for Arnautovic over the line.
However, while the club certainly needs some reinforcements in the final third of the pitch, the Stoke man might not be the answer.
Here are three reasons West Ham should steer clear of signing Arnautovic…
Statistics
While the 28-year-old forward has often been one of Stoke’s best players, his statistics have sometimes flatted to deceive.
For example last season, the Austrian scored six goals and provided a further five assists in 32 Premier League appearances for the Potters, but five of those six goals came in three matches against Sunderland, Hull City and Middlesbrough – all of whom were relegated at the end of the campaign.
He was certainly more impressive in the 2015/16 season after netting 11 top flight goals, but last term’s disappointing and inconsistent stats may be more than a slight concern.
Inconsistency
Following a disappointing campaign last time out, Irons boss Slaven Bilic should be looking for attacking players that can make a difference on a regular basis this summer, but on the face of it Arnautovic just looks to be another inconsistent winger.
Despite often playing on the left or right wing, the Austrian – especially last season – has failed to make the required impact on the pitch that he should have done, and having seen Robert Snodgrass struggle to impress following his move from Hull during the January transfer window, they don’t need a repeat of that signing.
Attitude/Discipline
The fact that he has handed in a transfer request this summer despite the fact that he has three years left on his contract with Stoke and the club want to keep him aren’t exactly a good sign for West Ham, especially with the problems they encountered with Dimitri Payet last season.
Arnautovic also missed four Premier League matches during the previous campaign through suspension, missing one after picking up his fifth booking of the season in November before being absent for a further three after picking up a straight red card for a challenge on Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal in December.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.