West Ham United are reportedly set to sign Stoke’s Marko Arnautovic.
West Ham United appear to be closing in on their third summer signing, with Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic nearing a switch to the London Stadium.
The Hammers have already signed Joe Hart and Pablo Zabaleta to boost their back line, but manager Slaven Bilic has also needed attacking reinforcements in search of more goals this coming season.
Stoke City’s Marko Arnautovic in action with West Ham United’s Jose Fonte
Now, the London Evening Standard report that a £23million deal has been agreed to sign Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic, with the Austrian international poised to complete his move in the coming days.
Arnautovic, 28, hit six goals and five assists for Stoke last season, with his best campaign since joining from Werder Bremen in 2013 coming during the 2015-16 season, when he hit 11 league goals.
Primarily a left winger, Arnautovic can bring real quality to the West Ham side, and one man well-placed to discuss his potential impact is ex-played and current pundit Matthew Etherington.
Etherington played almost 200 games for West Ham before joining Stoke in January 2009, where he played 177 times before retiring as a Potters player.
Matthew Etherington
Tonight, Etherington has taken to Twitter in order to offer his view on Arnautovic’s move, predicting that West Ham fans will love him whilst suggesting that he is surprised that Stoke are letting him go in the first place.
Etherington added that Arnautovic’s desire and application can be ‘frustrating’, but doesn’t think that he will be a disruptive influence in the West Ham dressing room.
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