West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic has opted to continue his career in Asia after joining Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG. The official transfer fee was not disclosed, but sources have it to be somewhere around the £22m (25m euros) mark.
Arnautovic wanted to leave the London Stadium for China in the winter transfer window earlier this year, but West Ham didn’t want to sell such an important player midway through a tough Premier League campaign, and no move materialised. He even ended up signing a new five-year deal, but this switch brings to an end a two year stint with the Hammers.
At his best, Arnautovic was nigh unplayable and could even lay claim to be the best striker in the league outside the top six. But he could often be lazy and uninspired on other occasions, which lead to a mixed relationship with the club’s fans.
The Austrian’s departure makes him the third striker to exit the London club this summer after Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll. The Hammers thus have only Javier Hernandez and Jordan Hugill as the recognized strikers on their books, and manager Manuel Pellegrini has made the acquisition of a new forward his top priority, with Celta’s Maxi Gomez said to be his preferred candidate.
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