On wednesday evening, myself, Dave, and Ex had a discussion in great detail regarding Marko Arnautovic’s future, and his agent (whom is also his brother) on the radio show. In light of that very discussion, news has emerged from well established media outlets today, that the Austrian is demanding £200,000 per week from the club. Arnie’s brother has been described as a “pest” by insiders, and has tried to engineer a move for our star man on a couple of occasions now. Whilst i can’t confirm whether this story is concrete, i also wouldn’t be surprised if it is true. What did Marko’s brother/agent do before his move to us? What did Marko himself do before his move to us? The trouble with modern day footballers is they think they can demand whatever they wish; if they don’t get their way with their current club, they will more than likely get it elsewhere. I could easily digress and ramble on about “but he done the hammers sign!” or “No way. He loves the club and fans!”, but the uncomfortable truth is this: Loyalty in football has vast become a distant memory, and money talks.

16 goals in 38 games for West Ham is a very good record for a player that has been an inconsistent winger for the majority of his career for inferior teams across Europe, but is £200,000 a week a bit steep? Definitely not – it’s fucking vertical!

Where do we draw the line with our star players? Dimitri Payet demanded a bumper new deal just 4/5 months into his West Ham career, then demanded more money the season after. This is a constant problem that needs to be capped – every time a player is rewarded with a new contract or is given a big deal after signing, others are kicking the chairman’s door down demanding a pay rise too. Scenario’s like this must be an absolute headache for the owners of the football club if they’re being bullied into a corner by the agents of these players. We aren’t big enough to be subsidising £800,000 a month for one player, so what’s the alternative? Will he be touted around in the January transfer window? Will he do what he done at Stoke before moving to us in 2017? Player and agent power in football is what has destroyed the game and it disgusts me. What chance will a club like ours have of progressing if a player decides to demand a wage that we simply cannot afford to match? He will be sold on to a ‘bigger’ club and more than likely rot on the bench. What’s more important to him – money or football?

I’ve said many many times on the radio show that Arnautovic is a similar mould to Di Canio – he’s found his perfect fit with West Ham United; He’s playing the best football of his career, he’s worshipped by the supporters, and he has a real understanding of what this football club is all about. However, and i repeat, money talks. So the million dollar question is, what’s more important to Marko Arnautovic…

 

You can listen to a full in-depth discussion on this subject by downloading The West Ham Way app on your smartphones, and listening back to the radio show via the tab. Or, you can listen back via iTunes, and Mixcloud.

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