Reading reports and media releases all day can do funny things to your brain. Sometimes instead of taking something in, there is the tendency to laugh, dismiss and move on. Which I did yesterday when I read a report in 3addedminutes.com concerning West Ham’s dire striker predicament.
As if it isn’t bad enough having only a 34 year old Antonio and a 32 year old Ings actually fit, with another – 31 year old Fullkrug – seemingly on the permanent sick list, this report suggested a re-hire of a thirty five year old former player.
And then I thought about it a bit more, shook my head and came back and read it again. First, I checked the date at the top to make sure it wasn’t a leftover from 1st April.
The suggestion was that re-hiring Marko Arnautovic – a ‘divisive figure’ and striker at London Stadium 2017-2019, would solve the Hammers’ immediate goal scoring crisis because: “The Austrian forward has fallen down the pecking order at Internazionale with the arrival of Mehdi Taremi from FC Porto. No longer a go-to super-sub for Simone Inzaghi, Arnautović is now a realistic target for a return to West Ham. Italian media reports suggest Inter Milan are willing to let him leave for free, provided a club is willing to cover his wage bill.
Julen Lopetegui would likely relish the opportunity to work with Arnautović, who fits the brand of football Lopetegui wants to implement at the Olympic Stadium. Arnautović is already familiar with the Premier League and West Ham’s culture, so adapting to a second stint at the club would not be an issue.”
What the report doesn’t mention is Arnautovic’s pretty vile racist comments from the past: I can see no way that the dressing room would tolerate his presence. In addition, the Hammers’ ownership were pretty bruised when he forced an exit whilst still under contract and I’m sure David Sullivan has a long enough memory to press the ‘delete’ button on any messages from ‘Arnie’s agent any time soon.
