Marko Arnautovic to take massive wage cut to force West Ham return
Former West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to reunite with David Moyes at the London Stadium this summer.
That’s according to club insider Ex-WHU Employee, who said on The West Ham Way podcast, that the Hammers are seriously considering signing him as they look to strengthen their attack post Sebastien Haller’s departure.
He said, “There is serious interest in bringing former striker Marko Arnautovic back in the summer, who is likely to be available on a free transfer.
“He wants to return and will be willing to take a massive wage cut.”
We previously reported that West Ham were unlikely to match his £200k-a-week wages, and were willing to offer something in the region of £66k-a-week.
However, at the time it wasn’t certain whether the player would be willing to take such a huge pay cut to force a return back to the London stadium.
The West Ham insider hasn’t divulged the exact number, but it is expected to be considerably lower than what he’s being paid at Shanghai Port.
Right move?
We’re being linked to a host of strikers as it’s a priority position and some names are just thrown around in the mix to make things dramatic.
However, it seems that there is a legitimate interest in Arnautovic, given that Moyes is a fan of the player.
When asked to comment on the reports linking the Austrian with a move to East London, Moyes said, “Marko was great for me. I loved having him at the club because I liked the challenge of trying to manage him. I would never rule Marko out.”
Arnautovic had a number of impressive games in his last West Ham stint and impressed BBC pundit Gareth Crooks who referred to him as ‘awesome’ finisher. [West Ham official website]
Obviously, he will not be the same player anymore and it makes us wonder whether signing a 32-year-old is the right move for a club that has been linked with younger strikers in Abdallah Sima and Youssef En-Nesyri – both of whom are good for the short and long term.
In other West Ham news, Hammers open talks to sign £50m-rated goal machine –confirmed
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