A name heavily linked with West Ham United in the past 48 hours is Stoke City’s Marko Arnautović. The Hammers have reportedly had a £15m bid rejected for the Austrian and he has subsequently handed in a transfer request in order to push the move closer. The club are expected to go in with a follow-up bid in the region of £20m.
If West Ham stump up a bit more money (as unlikely as that may sound), it looks like a deal will be done, with Arnautovic clearly interested in the move and Slaven Bilic apparently being very keen on player himself – labelling him as a top transfer target. Should it be completed, the transfer will be a great bit of business for the Hammers, but how will he fit into their side?
The winger signed for the Potters in 2013 from German side Werder Bremen and has been a key player since. Capable of playing on either wing, he has been one of Stoke’s main goalscoring threats, hitting double figures in league goals in the 2015/16 season.
West Ham’s best winger is Michail Antonio and one of his best attributes is how good he is in the air. Arnautovic is the same, towering above most full backs at 6″3 and you can’t help but think that this is a tactic Bilic likes – having wingers at the back post who are fantastic in the air. With Antonio and Arnautovic on each wing, this would certainly be the case and would be needed if another West Ham target – Javier Hernandez – is starting up front as his height means he is not prominent in the air.
Arnautovic is also great on the ball and knows how to finish, making him close to a complete winger. One problem is his lack of consistency, but he has never really been pushed for his place a Stoke which could be a reason for this complacency. Greater squad depth and competition at the Hammers, with players like Andre Ayew competing for the same position, should push the Austrian further and keep him playing consistently at a high level.
Wrapping up this deal would be great business for the Hammers, especially if it’s done in the next week. It could be a first marquee signing of the summer and hopefully signal other successful forays into the market.
