West Ham United are reportedly not expecting to have any issues as they look to hold onto Marko Arnautovic this summer.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, West Ham are confident that Marko Arnautovic will be going nowhere during the summer despite the speculation surrounding the Austrian during the January transfer window.
The Mail reports that Arnautovic was close to heading to the Chinese Super League at the start of the year, but he ultimately ended up staying put and signing a new contract at the London Stadium that is set to run until 2023.
Vice-chairman Karren Brady recently told Sky Sports that the Hammers would back whatever decision Manuel Pellegrini wants to make on the striker’s future. And it appears that Pellegrini has made his mind up.
The Mail reports that he wants the 30-year-old to stay, and the Hammers thus have no plans to sell the former Stoke City man, who looked to be edging back towards his best at the end of this past season.
If Arnautovic can take the form he ended the campaign with into next year, West Ham holding onto him will look like a masterstroke. He scored three goals in the last two games, while it had previously been his brilliant assist that led to the 1-0 win at Tottenham that brought an end to their unbeaten start to life at their new ground.
Keeping Arnautovic could also be important when it comes to trying to convince some of their summer targets to head to the London Stadium. Holding onto the key players will tell those that Pellegrini wants to bring in everything they need to know about the direction the club plan to go in.
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