Once West Ham United’s prized asset, Marko Arnautovic now looks like a shell of his former self.

The Hammers signed him for £20.07 million (as per Transfermarkt).

After a January exit was blocked off by the Hammers, the controversial striker’s not been the same. Indeed, if recent games set an example, he’s quite clearly not really interested in performing well either.

Frankly, the Austrian looks to have lost that hunger which spurred him on to become a big fan-favourite at the London Stadium. He is almost like a pedestrian in games nowadays, showing little willingness to create or score goals anymore, the kind of petulant attitude to have appeared throughout his career. In fact, Arnautovic’s last goal came against Brighton after New Year’s Day, as he’s yet to net a single goal after his January transfer saga.

The 30-year-old’s adding little to West Ham’s game and isn’t moving around as he used to either. He isn’t getting behind defenders, running the extra mile or showing the urgency to score goals anymore. The Austrian’s performances as of late have been extremely lethargic, proving that all isn’t well between him and Manuel Pellegrini.

Recently against Leicester City, he only had one shot which skied past goal, while recording only 76% passing accuracy from 21 passes (stats via Fotmob). The Hammers shouldn’t allow him to hold them back, as Pellegrini should keep him permanently benched even if it threatens to destabilize his team’s shape.

This season is almost over and Arnautovic is no more the inspiring figure he used to be and it’s high time David Gold and David Sullivan look to replace him with a quality striker who’ll actually play for the badge.

West Ham fans, do you think it's time to get rid of Arnautovic? Join the discussion by commenting below...