Gale reckons an Arnautovic takeaway was best bet

Former Hammers hero Tony Gale has added his voice to those who believe Marko Arnautovich should have been allowed to walk rather than be granted a new West Ham deal.

And that verdict falls in line with the results of a ClaretandHugh poll asking whether the Hammers were correct to offer him another year on his present agreement or not.

Sixty per cent, like Gale, believe he should have been allowed to move on rather than stay at the club under what appears to have been duress for a deal.

It recalls his last days at Stoke where he was offered and accepted a new contract before leaving for the Hammers – there’s previous.

The Austrian is set to head up the Irons’ attacking efforts at Molienux tonight and it may be an advantage that we are away as he makes his comeback with not all fans happy at the activities of the last few weeks.

Gale told Love Sport Radio.: “Undoubtedly West Ham are a better team when Arnautovic plays, if he wants to play,” Gale told Ian Stone’s Comedy Breakfast (weekdays 6.30am-10.30am) on

“But I’d have got rid of him. It kind of brought apathy into the camp before a game like the one against Wimbledon.

“It’ll be interesting now to see what kind of reception he gets off the fans because they know that was a money-instigated move.

“People will be asking him now: ‘What sort of money do you want?’

“Would he rather win the FA Cup or Carabao Cup and maybe have an outside chance of getting into the Europa League, or does he want to go to China, where you can probably go when you’re about 32, and pick up a few more quid?

“I think there was a bit of greediness involved there.”