West Ham United’s misery last Tuesday evening was compounded with Marko Arnautović picking up a knock.
The Hammers were on the end of a three-goal defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League which followed elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of League One strugglers AFC Wimbledon over the weekend.
Sidelined
Supporters from the east London club will be hoping the Austrian will make a swift return to action with Liverpool up next.
Speaking about the injury, James Jones from the West Ham Way exclusively told Rising East, “He shouldn’t be out for too long, if at all. My understanding is that the injury isn’t too bad, but there’s no official confirmation from the club yet so that could change.”
With the possibility of being without the 29-year-old, Jones discussed the alternatives who could to fill the void left by Arnautović’s possible absence.
He said: “We have goals in the team without him but it’s not ideal having to rely on Andy Carroll, Lucas Pérez and Chicharito, all of which are inconsistent and injury prone themselves.”
Market Movements
With a lack of quality options to replace the forward, Jones admitted the east London club considered making a late move in the January transfer window, “It probably increases the need to bring someone in on Deadline Day but that’s only if the injury is serious. I just can’t see us signing anyone though.”
One man who was tipped to come in for West Ham was Maxi Gómez, who is currently plying his trade in La Liga with Celta Vigo.
A £40 million move had been discussed, with Jones claiming, “Maxi Gómez would be an exciting signing but we [needed] to get a deal done before the summer, otherwise we will miss out on him. He’s wanted by bigger clubs so we should have met the release clause and then loaned him back for six months if that’s what Celta Vigo wanted.”
New Deal
However, on a more positive note, Arnautović’s future in East London was recently settled after he agreed a new contract extension with club.
The deal will keep him at the London Stadium until 2022, however, the way in which the announcement was made caused some discontent amongst fans, claims Jones.
He said: “We should be happy about the contract extension but many fans are angry about the way it all happened. He spent all month pushing for a move to China and then suddenly he signs a new deal and its announced five minutes after we’re thrashed by Wimbledon. A game we really needed him for. The whole thing was embarrassing and an insult to the fans.”
The Austrian has been a key player at West Ham since his arrival from Stoke City back in 2017. In 19 appearances this season he has been directly involved in 10 goals and the Hammers will be keen for him to remain beyond the 2018/2019 season.