OPINION
West Ham must act on their reported suspicion that Marko Arnautovic may use the interest in him to get a new deal as ignoring it could derail their season.
According to the Guardian there is a suspicion that the key Hammers player, who is represented by his brother Daniel, could try to use interest from China in order to get himself an improved contract.
This is thought to be the case after, as the newspaper states, the Hammers received a £35million offer from an unspecified Chinese club and if Arnautovic was to move to China to play his football, he could justify a lucrative wage.
The 29-year-old forward is very important to Manuel Pellegrini’s side as he is the club’s joint top-scorer with eight goals, which is impressive when you consider he has missed numerous games due to injuries this season.
Arnautovic’s current contract sees him earn £100,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac) and doesn’t expire until 2022.
While there is plenty of time left on the forward’s contract, the Hammers can’t afford to have him become unhappy or unsettled as his form will no doubt suffer as a result.
The Hammers have had a relatively good season considering all the changes that occurred in the summer but their season would be dramatically derailed if Arnautovic was suddenly to start being a problem.
The 29-year-old’s form on the pitch is vital to success and given that he appears to be an influential person in the dressing room, discontent from him could have a damning effect on the current positive atmosphere behind the scenes.
The London club may not necessarily have to table a new deal for Arnautovic straight away but if he is keen for a new contract they need to address his concerns one way or another.
There’s also the risk if they don’t, that clubs could swarm like vultures in order to get him and if word gets out he is open to an exit, his value will drop dramatically.
Therefore if the Hammers do indeed have any inkling that Arnautovic is about to use the interest in him as ploy, they need to do something about it one way or another.
