West Ham opt against re-signing Marko Arnautovic two years after his acrimonious departure as the Shanghai SIPG forward on £5.1m-a-year is considered too expensive

• Marko Arnautovic left West Ham in acrimonious circumstances in July 2019
• However, the Austrian was the top scorer under David Moyes in 2017-18 
• Arnautovic also scored the most goals for the Hammers the following season 
• His relationship with the club became strained though as he pushed for a move  
• The 31-year-old eventually made the switch to Chinese giants Shanghai SIPG 

West Ham have opted against a return for Marko Arnautovic as he is considered too expensive. 

The 31-year-old left West Ham acrimoniously in 2019 for Chinese side Shanghai SIPG and agreed a salary of £5.1million a year after tax. 

West Ham are looking to offload fringe players such as Robert Snodgrass. 

Marko Arnautovic was West Ham’s top goalscorer in both his seasons at the London Stadium

However, the Austrian’s relationship with the club became strained when he pushed for a move

Arnautovic join the Hammers in the summer of 2017 after a four-year spell with Stoke. 

The Austrian largely excelled at the London Stadium, scoring 21 goals in 59 Premier League games over two seasons, the first of which was largely spent under current manager David Moyes. 

However, his relationship with then-boss Manuel Pellegrini soured when he pushed for a move to China in January 2019, with his agent and brother Danijel saying at the time: ‘West Ham bought Marko for peanuts. They paid £20m for him, which is nothing in the current market. 

‘They bought him to keep them in the Premier League last season and he did that. He took every award at the club: best player, signing of the season and the players’ award.

Marko Arnautovic’s current team-mates at Shanghai SIPG include Oscar and Aaron Mooy

‘Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles.’

West Ham held firm and got Arnautovic to sign a new contract later that month before the forward got his dream move to Shanghai SIPG in July 2019, where he teamed up with former Chelsea playmaker Oscar. 

Arnautovic’s two seasons with the Red Eagles have yielded 17 goals in 29 games, with Covid-19 curtailing the 2020 campaign.

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