Dean Ashton revealed he was baffled over the fact West Ham attacker Marko Arnautovic had hardly been seen since the situation regarding his future was resolved.
The 29-year-old forward was subject to a £35million bid from a Chinese club offering wages of around £200,000 a week in January, according to the BBC, before opting to sign a new deal with the Hammers.
Ashton noted that he thought the situation surrounding Arnautovic had hinder Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season, but suggested it was still strange he hadn’t often featured since.
The former Hammer then added that while that was a negative for the club, Felipe Anderson and Declan Rice have been a positive this season.
“I think the Arnautovic situation really did hinder them. It’s strange how he hasn’t really been seen since,” Ashton told the Daily Express.
“And, actually, he’d been their best player so that probably didn’t help the squad.
“But there’s great stories elsewhere with Felipe Anderson and Declan Rice. So there are positives for West Ham.”
OPINION
West Ham tried to sort Arnautovic’s situation out by tying him down to a new deal in January, but that hasn’t fixed anything. The forward looked certain to leave in January, at certain points, and some fans in hindsight are no doubt wishing he had packed his bags. Ever since speculation started about his future, Arnautovic hasn’t looked the same player. Since the end of the January window, Arnautovic has only failed to feature in two of the Hammers’ league games, however he hasn’t completed 90 minutes in any of his outings. It’s no surprise that Pellegrini hasn’t put his full faith in the player since January as the attacker hasn’t given him a reason to. When the forward has featured, he has struggled and has not shown that he is willing to go the extra mile for the club. So while Ashton is baffled over the use of Arnautovic, he really shouldn’t be.
