Phil Thompson expects Marko Arnautovic to leave West Ham in the summer transfer window and has claimed that the 30-year-old could have had a negative effect on squad morale.
The Austria international scored his first goal since January when he fired a brace in the 3-0 win against Southampton on Saturday.
However with ongoing speculation about Arnautovic’s future as a West Ham player, Thompson has suggested that could have been the forward’s final game as a Hammers player at the London Stadium.
When asked were he sees Arnautovic in the future, Thompson said on Sky Sports News on Saturday [05:23pm]: “Away from West Ham. Absolutely.
“You can’t rely on somebody whose mind is set for anything that might come up. Every couple of months he might want to go.
“I see him being a problem in the dressing room when he’s like that.
“He’s certainly affected them just after the January transfer window.”
Thompson added: “I see his future away from West Ham.”
OPINION
It would be a shock if Arnautovic was to still be a West Ham player by the time next season starts. He may have scored two goals – and could have scored a hat-trick – against Southampton on Saturday, but they may well be his final goals as a Hammers player unless he gets on the scoresheet against Watford in the final game of the season next week. Arnautovic has been a decent player for West Ham but no player is bigger than the team and the unrest that he has probably caused means that he needs to leave. Fans should not be happy to have a player like him around and he should be sold to the highest bidder in the summer, whether it’s another team in the Premier League or someone farther afield in China. That money can be used to sign a replacement like Maxi Gomez, who has looked like the real deal for Celta Vigo this season.