Marko Arnautovic returned to form by putting in a star performance to help the Hammers to a 3-0 win against Southampton on Saturday. The result and performance from his club would have been a big boost to the Austrian who struggled for form after being linked with a move to the Chinese Super League during the January transfer window.
After the January controversy, Arnautovic eventually signed a contract extension with the Hammers on improved terms. This however did not end the speculation surrounding his future, especially has a history of being disloyal to clubs, having left the likes of Inter Milan and Stoke City on bitter terms.
Arnautovic scored either side of half time and got his brace before Ryan Fredericks scored his first Premier League goal to hand Manuel Pellegrini’s side a convincing win.
“We go next season” said Arnautovic on West Ham’s social media channels.
It now looks like Arnautovic will be staying at the London Stadium for at least another season and this will be good news to the Hammers. He is by far their best striker option currently and they should at least keep one in their side ahead of next season. Andy Caroll will be leaving the club this summer while question marks surround the futures of Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez.
None of the three have really contributed significantly this season and Pellegrini cannot really be faulted if he plans to offload them. It would be ideal however to bring in one or two in-form strikers as well as keep Arnautovic if the club wants to improve their consistency next season.