West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini has warned striker Marko Arnautovic that moving to a bigger club will not necessarily be in his best interests.
The Guardian previously reported that the Austrian forward was keen on a move away from the Hammers, with the likes of Chelsea said to be interested in his services – however, Pellegrini has seemingly poured cold water over everything by saying that a move to one of the Premier League top-six will not be everything that he thinks it will crack up to be.
He says that the Irons mainstay should take time in considering what his next move will be, as there is no guarantee that he will be playing regularly like he does at West Ham.
“I don’t think it is a good idea to go immediately to a big team because he would maybe not start every game like he does here,” Pellegrini said, as quoted by Claret and Hugh.
“Maybe we will see what will happen in the future but right now his mind and his commitment is with West Ham.”
OPINION
Pellegrini is right – moving to a top club is not necessarily going to be better than staying put at West Ham. Yes, it must be flattering when a club like Chelsea are interested in a player, but they have proved before that not everyone they sign is guaranteed game time. Look at the likes of midfielder Danny Drinkwater – he has hardly featured for the Blues since he was signed in the reign of Antonio Conte. There is a risk of this happening if Arnautovic made the move, so he is a lot better off remaining a West Ham for the time being, where he is pretty much odds-on to start every fixture. He is hugely valued at the club, which is not a surprise, but that would not be the same if he signed for Chelsea. It takes a long time to be considered a fan favourite, and one bad game could be the start of an extended spell on the sidelines.
