Expectation was far from sky-high when Marko Arnautovic completed a £20 million switch to West Ham United in 2017, but he has exceeded all reasonable expectation in the time which has followed.
A record of 26 goals and 32 assists from 145 appearances for Stoke City made for promising reading for the Hammers faithful when they welcomed Arnautovic to the club.
An inside-forward by trade, who was typically at his most devastating when driving forward with the ball at his feet or whipping the ball in from out wide, the Austria international had quietly established himself as a genuine danger man in the Premier League without setting the world alight.
The early stages of his career at in east London evoked serious questions concerning the credentials of West Ham’s decision to part with £20 million for a player with a notable hot-headed streak who struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular under Slaven Bilic.
But David Moyes enabled Arnautovic to channel his aggression, passion and power into consistent performances in a new-look centre-forward role, and he hasn’t looked back ever since he opened his account in a 1-0 victory over Chelsea last season.
16 goals and 9 assists have since followed in all-competitions, reportedly attracting interest from at least one elite Premier League club in the process.
It’s a meteoric rise from a player who supporters were beginning to doubt shortly before he kick-started his career against Chelsea, and it’s fair to say it’s one which nobody saw coming.
Arnautovic is unquestionably the most gifted attacker outside of the top-six, edging ahead of Richarlison based on his superior wealth of top-flight experience; that may seem like a sensationalist statement, but identifying a worthy alternative is verging on the impossible.
Naturally, there will be somebody, somewhere, dressed in claret and blue, who claims that they always tipped Arnautovic to blossom into the calibre of player he is today – but they would be lying, wouldn’t they.
Gold and Sullivan’s decision to splash £20 million on Arnautovic has been legitimised on the field of play following a series of encapsulating performances, showcasing speed, strength and, most importantly, an emphatic end product, and they now find themselves in a position from which to command a significant profit if he ultimately forces a transfer away from the London Stadium.
At 29-years-old Arnautovic seems to be getting better with age, but he will be acutely aware of his diminishing time to thrive at the top level – a factor which could play a telling role in how his future develops.
Time will tell whether West Ham can convince their talisman to stay at the club, but the owners can rest easy in the knowledge that they have every right to slap a huge asking price on his head if and when the sharks begin to circle.
West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
