Will Arnautovic do a Payet after collapse of China move?

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WITH a new life in China and a reported £300,000 a week looming, Marko Arnautovic waved goodbye to the West Ham United fans earlier this month ahead of a move to Guangzhou Evergrande. And, yet, the big Austrian is likely to be brought back into the fold for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against AFC Wimbledon.

The forward’s January transfer window switch to the Chinese Super League (CSL) appears to have collapsed because West Ham’s valuation £45 million has not been accepted. Guangzhou Evergrande have offered almost £10 million less.

Now, the Hammers face the tricky prospect of integrating the former Stoke star into their squad, while hoping to avoid a repeat of the Dimitri Payet saga of two years ago.

Marko Arnautovic. – Reuters photo

The Frenchman rubbed the fans the wrong way when he went on strike under then-manager Slaven Bilic so that he could force a return to his beloved Marseille.

The attacking midfielder had scored 11 goals in 48 appearances for the East Londoners, but threw the toys out of the stroller when it appeared that he wouldn’t be able to go back to the Ligue 1 club. When West Ham rejected two bids from Marseille, Payet refused to play, even though he was 100 per cent fit.

He had won the previous season’s Player of the Year award, but a mural at London Stadium had to be protected by security guards to prevent it from being vandalised. And once West Ham finally accepted a £25 million offer from Marseille just before the end of the transfer window, Payet’s image was quickly replaced by that of former England striker Andy Carroll.

With his 10th-placed team enjoying a solid season, including a recent upset victory over Arsenal, West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is determined to avoid a repeat of the Payet fiasco.

“Big teams want to have the best players, but I think we must remain calm about the situation,” said the former Real Madrid and Manchester City boss. “I have been in these situations a lot of times… I have been a manager for about 30 years.

“There is nothing 100 per cent sure, so we will see in the next days how it develops.”

Under World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, Guangzhou are preparing for their 2019 CSL campaign, having finished second behind Shanghai SIPG last year.

They have a trio of Brazilian imports, including ex-Tottenham midfielder Paulinho who returned to China last year after a successful season with Barcelona, winning the domestic 2017-18 double.

Not yet 30 – he passes that milestone in April – Arnautovic would bring Premier League pedigree to an ambitious club looking to win the AFC Champions League side for a third time. They’re also the richest side in China, with an estimated value of US$282 million.

On a current salary of around £100,000 a week, it is hard to feel too sorry for Arnautovic, who has played six seasons in the Premier League, having scored 22 goals in 125 matches.

However, given his volatile reputation, West Ham insiders were relieved when he still turned up for training on Tuesday, despite the disappointment of his collapsed deal to Asia.

Once known as the bad boy of Austrian football known for his tattoos and crazy hairstyles, Arnautovic admits that his behaviour once left a lot to be desired. But he says that the birth of his daughters Emilia and Alicia have mellowed him.

Even so, the voices in his head will be hard to ignore, especially if West Ham are knocked out of the FA Cup. With relegation unlikely, Pellegrini’s side will have little more to play for and Arnautovic is bound to become restless.

But money aside, one wonders what satisfaction on a pure football level the former FC Twente junior would derive from a stint in China. Surely, he’d be better placed to either stay in the Premier League, or engineer a move to another European league.

In the meantime, Pellegrini will need to ensure that an unsettled Arnautovic doesn’t poison the London Stadium dressing room. Having skilfully dealt with the rampant egos of Manchester City when he won the 2013-14 Premier League, the Chilean manager must find a way to keep his Asia-focused Austrian happy, without distracting his teammates.

After all, the next transfer window is only a few months away. Arnautovic, and his young family, could still be eating Guangzhou dim sum by the end of the summer, with plenty of extra money to spend on shopping trips to nearby Hong Kong.

Jason Dasey is CEO of Singapore-based Cockatoo Media and host of corporate events in Borneo