West Ham United should consider Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck

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Should West Ham United focus their attentions on the Arsenal man?

West Ham United, according to ESPN this week, had a £20 million bid for Marko Arnautovic rejected by Stoke City, while The Mail reports that Slaven Bilic will have to cough up £24 million to prise him from The Bet 365 Stadium.

It is crazy money, for a player who netted six Premier League goals last season, and perhaps it’s time for West Ham to explore better options.

Could the answer be found across the capital in North London?

Danny Welbeck would do well to remain at Arsenal beyond this summer.

Alexandre Lacazette’s arrival has pushed him down the pecking order in regards to a central role, while the potential signing of Riyad Mahrez and Thomas Lemar mean that the England international could also struggle to get games in a wide role.

Indeed, it would appear as if there isn’t much need for the 26-year-old at Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger might well try to offload him.

Welbeck needs games. He has had an injury-ravaged three years with the Gunners and although West Ham don’t need another sick note on their books, he is a much better – and much cheaper – option than Arnautovic when he is fit.

Wenger paid £16 million for him in 2014 and the French manager will know that 10 goals in 52 Premier League games (Arnautovic has 17 in 95 matches) means that he can hardly hope to recoup most of that.

He has two years left to go on his contract, has had two long-term injuries and he needs games. Those three factors could see West Ham pick him up relatively cheap.

As mentioned, Bilic doesn’t need another injury-prone attacker but it is worth noting that he is at Arsenal, whose players always find ways to get injured, and perhaps his injury woes is more about Wenger’s training sessions than it is about him.

According to Transfermarkt, Welbeck missed 15 games for Manchester United through injury – he has already missed close to 80 for Arsenal. Remove him from that environment and you might see the ex-Red Devil stay a lot fitter for a lot longer.

It is a gamble, but for what he would cost, there is a lot more value about signing him than there is about Arnautovic.