The arrival of Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham United has sparked an outlandish spending spree from the club, with 7 new faces arriving at the London Stadium for a combined cost of £85.5 million.
It’s an exciting time for a club who will undoubtedly be one to watch next season, but a recent report from talkSPORT suggests their progress in the window so far could be undone by a fatal error of judgement.
According to the report West Ham are willing to listen to offers for Marko Arnautovic this summer in an attempt to balance the books after spending lavishly on an array of new talent.
With both Manchester united and Roma reportedly expressing an interest in the Austrian powerhouse, there’s no doubt that the player in question could be tempted into a move away from the club this summer.
Arnautovic (valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt) is running out of time to showcase his talent in the Champions League at 29-years-of-age, so a move to either of the aforementioned clubs will certainly carry a huge weight of appeal for a player who has only made 5 appearances in Europe’s elite club competition during his career so far.
But despite this, Manuel Pellegrini should do everything in his power to keep Arnautovic at the London Stadium this summer as he has the potential to play an integral role in the club’s development next season.
Whilst it is a subject of huge excitement for the club, the arrival of 7 new players will not necessarily guarantee an improvement in results next season as the fresh arrivals will need to gel together under a new manager.
Naturally, West Ham cannot expect to enjoy instant success, but if they manage to keep Arnautovic at the club they will have a much better chance of achieving the desired results.
At the spearhead of the attack Arnautovic almost single-handedly provided the necessary zip, spark, tenacity and quality which was needed to keep West Ham in the division last season.
It may well be the case that West Ham need to balance the books with the sale of Arnautovic to ensure they abide by the rules of FFP and, if that does indeed prove to be the case, it would be fair to say that their transfer strategy has left plenty to be desired.
West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
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