Harry Redknapp has spoken out in disapproval of Marko Arnautovic’s desire to move to China, and has suggested that there is no longer any loyalty in football.
The Austrian international has been linked with a lucrative deal to take him from West Ham to the Far East, with his agent and brother, Danijel, suggesting to talkSPORT that the 29-year-old is eager to go.
Speaking to the station later on Friday, former Hammers man Redknapp expressed his frustration at the situation.
He said: “Forget loyalty. The days of people staying at clubs forever is long gone.
“I don’t know the boy, but he never looks that happy. He’s a real good player, he’s got great talent, but it’s a shame for West Ham fans. It’s sad really but that’s the way it’s gone.”
He added: “It’s not like it was when it was all lads who came from within an area, played for West Ham, that was their club and they were all happy to be there.
“Now, there are probably four or five of them who would love the chance to jump ship and move to China or anywhere else they can make a few quid.
“In their mind and the agent’s mind, they’re just thinking of the next move where they can make a few quid.”
OPINION
There’s two sides to this Arnautovic debacle, and it’s easy to see both. From the Hammers’ perspective, for the 29-year-old to leave the club and move to China for cold hard cash is nothing short of insulting, and suggests a lack of loyalty and ambition on the part of the player. That being said, the forward would stand to gain an extra £22 million from the move over the course of a three year contract, and nobody, regardless of loyalties or anything, could turn that kind of money down without at least thinking twice. It’s a sad reality, but Arnautovic has no personal ties to West Ham, nothing that binds him to the club other than his contract. If the club end up accepting an offer and another club offers him a better deal, why wouldn’t he leave? There is obviously a lot more to play for in England, and it would speak volumes about his priorities, but the fact of the matter is that the Austrian would not be human if he didn’t want to go and play for that kind of money.