Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has boldly claimed that West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic is capable of playing for any club in the Premier League.
Arnautovic has netted three goals for the Hammers already this season – with one of them coming in the 3-1 win over Everton last Sunday – and Crouch thinks that Chelsea must not be complacent when they come up against the £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] star this weekend at the London Stadium.
Crouch reckons that the forward models himself on proven ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and that he is capable of being a “world class” player on a good day.
“There is one thing you must know about Marko Arnautovic if you want to understand what makes him tick: he believes he’s the best player in the world. He is a maverick and unpredictable, but those traits are endearing,” he said in his column for the Daily Mail.
“He’s top-class and could literally play for any team in the Premier League, he’s got such ability. Chelsea, certainly, won’t take him for granted on Saturday. What Marko has struggled with is consistency. I’m convinced that’s the only reason the top sides have not taken him.
“On his day, he can be world-class. He models himself on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and genuinely thinks he is up there with him.Whether you agree or not, you can’t dispute he is entertaining. Right now, he’s at the perfect club to prosper.”
OPINION
It is hard not to agree with Crouch here, as Arnautovic has certainly been one of West Ham’s standout players this season. During the difficult spell when they were losing game after game, he was their best player on the pitch and was definitely their most redeemable feature. Like Crouch says, he now has the opportunity to get better and better with the Irons, as it is the perfect club to string together a run of consistent performances. Once he does that, there is no doubt that he will start attracting some clubs from the Premier League’s top six – but at the moment, he is not capable of playing for anyone like Crouch says. He needs to improve that little bit more in order to be at the standard of a top quality side – but it will not be long. If West Ham manage to continue their good form from the Everton clash, then Arnautovic will prove to be their most vital asset this season.
