Sky Sports pundit Tony Cascarino has claimed that West Ham star forward Marko Arnautovic could become a star for a top-six Premier League side.
Arnautovic has recovered from a nightmare start to his West Ham career, with the Austria international looking a new player under the leadership of David Moyes.
The 28-year-old scored his seventh league goal in nine games at the weekend as the Hammers came through 2-0 winners against Watford, this coming after he went his first 11 games without scoring or providing an assist.
Now, Cascarino, who regularly appears as a pundit on Sky Sports, has claimed firstly that West Ham will survive the drop, and then that Arnautovic could make the step up to a top-six side.
In his column for The Times, he said: “West Ham were excellent on Saturday and I think they are safe. David Moyes has done a fine job bringing the best out of Marko Arnautovic and Pablo Zabaleta, the summer signings, and it’s some redemption for him after his failure at Sunderland.
“Arnautovic looks better every week and could be a star for a top-six side — he’s got pace, power, skill and is an accomplished finisher.”
West Ham now sit in 12th in the Premier League table, with their 30 points putting then four clear of the bottom three with 11 games left to play.
OPINION
One would tend to agree with Cascarino’s assertion that West Ham look like they are heading for safety, as David Moyes has truly turned their fortunes around since his appointment. While they are still just four points from safety, the Hammers should be safe with three more wins from their 11 remaining matches. On the Arnautovic claim, that remains doubtful. The Austrian is undoubtedly a brilliant player, and on his day he can be unplayable, but unfortunately those days do not come often enough. His temperament remains questionable, and that would not be tolerated at a top Premier League side.