West Ham United fans would have given a wry smile to their TV screens on Tuesday night, after one of our old faces made a big impression in the Champions League.
We have had some truly great players throughout the years, and one of them who left West Ham five years ago is still producing the goods at the highest level in the Champions League.
Last night, a player the Hammers nearly signed in the summer – Karim Adeyemi – bagged a scintillating Champions League hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund against Celtic.
What a shame it was that we didn’t sign the Dortmund star in the summer.
However, the Hammers may well also be regretting the way that one player left us years ago, especially given Julen Lopetegui‘s current need for a proper striker.
The man in question was in fine form for his club in Europe on Tuesday night.
And boy, how we could do with a player like him now.
Ex-Hammer Marko Arnautovic bags Champions League hat-trick
Marko Arnautovic scored a goal for Inter during their 4-0 win against Crvena zvezda in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Austria international was an exceptional player for us – someone who was adored by the fans right up until his acrimonious exit from the London Stadium that is…
The agent and brother of Arnautovic, Danijel, stunned the Hammers fans back in January 2019 when he explained why his client wanted to leave the club:
“West Ham bought Marko for peanuts. They paid £20million for him, which is nothing in the current market. They bought him to keep them in the Premier League last season and he did that. He took every award at the club; best player, signing of the season and the players’ award. Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants. It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”
The now 35-year-old spent two years at the London Stadium before leaving to join Chinese club Shanghai SIPG for around £22 million in 2019 (The Guardian).
The striker earned an incredible £200k-a-week in China (Daily Mirror).
And since his time in China, he has played for Bologna and now Inter Milan.
Arnie forced his way out of West Ham after handing in two transfer requests, once his agent (brother) made it clear to him he was in line for a massive contract out in China.
In spite of that, there is no denying just how good he was for us – what a player.
West Ham have missed Marko Arnautovic badly
The Austrian bagged 22 goals and 12 assists in 65 games for West Ham, and the way that he led the line on his own was truly incredible to witness.
The striker had to leave the London Stadium in the end, after he created an untenable situation between him and the fans.
However, it’s such a shame that things didn’t turn out differently. If West Ham had a striker like Marko Arnautovic over the past few years, there’s no telling what we could have achieved.
The fact that he scored a goal for Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night proves how he’s still more than good enough to play at the very highest level of the game.
The job for Lopetegui now should be to find a striker who fits to profile of Arnie in his prime.
Someone like the 35-year-old would have a field day playing alongside the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta at the London Stadium.
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