Frank McAvennie warns West Ham off Marko Arnautovic return
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie has warned David Moyes not to bring Austrian international Marko Arnautovic back to West Ham this summer.
Arnautovic, 32, spent two seasons at West Ham between 2017 and 2019, scoring 22 goals in 65 games.
However, he soured his relationship with the club and its fans after handing a transfer request in during the summer of 2019, before eventually sealing a transfer to Chinse Super League side Shanghai SIPG, where he currently resides.
There have been reports, though, that Moyes may look to bring the controversial striker back to east London, with talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook telling the GameDay podcast [24/05/21] that “Moyes would probably welcome that, from what I’m told”.
Arnautovic was also spotted in good spirits with Declan Rice and Jesse Lingard before their respective nations met in an international friendly last week.
McAvennie suggests it would be a grave mistake to re-sign the Austrian.
Speaking to West Ham Zone, McAvennie said: “No, not for me. It will cause frictions again because he’ll want to play up front every week and [Michail] Antonio will be arguing.
“What I know is the dressing room wasn’t a happy place during his last six months.
“You’re going to have a problem. Can I see Antonio and Arnautovic playing together? No.
“He really disrespected the club. I don’t know if the fans would want him back.
“The fans deserve better than that. I think the fans would be split on that one, but I don’t think it would be a good fit in the dressing room.”
Time to move on
Arnautovic was, and probably is, undoubtedly a great player capable of changing the course of a game in an instant.
His predatory instincts and skills on the ball were evident to see during his Premier League days, first at Stoke City, and then at West Ham.
But at 32, surely his best days are behind him.
Could we really justify stumping up big wages for him? Surely it’s better to go for a younger, hungrier option?
That’s before we even delve into the circumstances that led to his departure.
He might be well received by some members of the first-team squad, but would that be a sentiment shared by the entire dressing room?
It’s a risk not worth taking.
In other West Ham news, this exit-bound Irons player is in exit talks to sign for a European club with an agreement likely to be reached soon.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebookand Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Hammers and more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.