OPINION
The situation surrounding West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic in January would have left most of the fans pleading with the club’s board to sign someone new.
Well, they did target a forward, and that forward was in the shape of Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez.
However, a switch never materialised, leaving the majority of the fanbase tearing their hair out and wondering what on earth went wrong.
They are now set to be handed an even more of a shattering blow, as the Sun have reported that Liverpool and Chelsea are set to target the attacker in the summer in order to rectify their own problems.
Why the Reds need to sign a new frontman we will never know, and as for Chelsea – well that does kind of make sense.
Nevertheless, the report states that the Hammers were keen to revisit a deal for the 22-year-old in the summer too, but they have been handed a huge obstacle in their pursuit of the player – as who wouldn’t turn down the chance to join two side’s competing at the top end of the table.
The likelihood of Arnautovic leaving in the next transfer window are sky high, and it is possible that the club will decide to offload Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez after ineffective seasons for the club.
Where does that leave them then? They were no doubt counting on doing a deal for the La Liga talisman to fill the likely void left by the Austrian, but it now looks like they can forget about signing him when he is available.
Manuel Pellegrini will certainly be worried about missing out as he no doubt considered Gomez as a striker who would fit straight into his style of play, but the club’s chances of signing him are now even lower than before.