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West Ham United could lose Marko Arnautovic this month, and Manuel Pellegrini cannot overlook the future-defining implications the move would have.
The Austrian has been the leader at the London Stadium since his move to centre-forward and without his services the Irons will lose some of the identity they are trying to build.
Unfortunately, as the days go by, the move looks ever the more likely, with Arnautovic appearing to wave goodbye to the Hammers faithful who packed the ground to a record capacity against Arsenal last weekend.
With a move as big as this, we at Football FanCast have considered the potential consequences…
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Felipe Anderson becomes transfer target #1
If West Ham were to accept an offer for Arnautovic, the burden for goals would fall on the shoulders of summer signing Felipe Anderson.
The Brazilian has come through his early season difficulties as he adjusted to the English game and is quickly becoming the key man for West Ham, with eight goals and four Man of the Match displays in the Premier League so far.
His ever-increasing form is attracting the attention of fans across the country, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea supporters in awe of the former Lazio winger. Should he maintain his game-changing ways, that attention will soon come from the clubs rather than the grandstands.
Club record smashed again
When Anderson arrived in East London, the 25-year-old became the club’s record signing, breaking the fee they had spent on Issa Diop a fortnight before.
But in order to replace Arnautovic, the striker being heavily linked with a move would cost the Hammers even more, and earn his current club 25 times what they paid to land his signature four-and-a-half years ago.
That player is AFC Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, someone the south coast side consider to be worth £75million amid interest from Chelsea.
By no means is Wilson worth that much, even in today’s market, but the demand for a striker in January plays a key part in raising the value of players.
Payet’s shadow lurks in East London
The whole situation over Arnautovic’s departure offers harrowing similarities to Dimitri Payet’s in 2017 – even the 31-year-old has admitted his actions were extreme in order to force the move back to Marseille.
Arnautovic’s transfer saga is yet to reach the same sights, but another key player, who is also a fan favourite, looking to say his goodbyes before the ink has even rolled let alone dried suggests a larger issue at West Ham.
Pellegrini will have to address this otherwise Anderson’s agent will soon look to move his client on to potentially bigger things as well, even if other clubs are not targeting the Brazilian, and then the question would be quite simply, who’s next?
Diop, for one, has already been linked with a £50million move to Paris Saint-Germain.