Researching the article about Andy Carroll yesterday, I came across the archive photo which I have used here- showing Andy with fellow Hammer Marko Arnautovic: It got me thinking how fickle the ‘football success roulette wheel’ is, the difference between the two following their Hammers’ careers couldn’t be more pronounced.
In July 2017 ‘Arnie’ joined us from Stoke City as a winger for a fee which I think was £20 million.. Immediate impressions from the sidelines were- he was aggressive, moody, slightly mad and a bit of a loose cannon: Fast though and undoubtedly skilled. He did seem to sulk a lot!
When he was on song – and after he was converted to a striker having come initially as a winger, we grew more fond of him month by month.
Sometimes sulking, sometimes sublime. Marko Arnautovic
He seemed – most of the time- to give 100% and scored some memorable goals in his two seasons. I remember his generosity to kids in the crowd, often he’d be barefoot after games having given away his boots to young fans after the game. Always seeming just that ‘little but crazy’ to me, willing to take on anyone who got in his way- the Austrian racked up 22 goals and 12 assists in his two seasons at London Stadium but, apart from his -erm- ‘individual’ mindset, he had one challenging issue.
His agent was his brother who always seemed to be agitating for him to move on, something which I’m sure made him deaf to the praise he received at West Ham and determined to keep moving on as much as possible and just racking up those fees.
He left West Ham under a cloud, after two seasons, for the Chinese Super League for a little more than we’d paid for him: I assumed his career would nosedive after that choice of transfer especially at 30 years old.
I couldn’t be more wrong – in contrast to his team-mate Andy Carroll, Arnautovic continued an upward trajectory: He moved on loan back to Europe – Bologna – 2 years later and from there to Inter Milan, first on loan, finally signed as a permanent deal this summer at the age of 35.
He cost Inter just 8 million euros but not bad for a 35 year old, who makes our present-day Hammers attack look positively youthful.
“Arnie’ was blessed with strength and pace, and whilst I haven’t seen him play for his club lately he’s obviously still doing it for Inter Milan: Unlike former colleague Carroll who is now in the 5th tier, Marko is still plying his trade at the very top.
I caught a glimpse of him scoring a penalty for Austria in the Euros and was amazed he still looked 100%. Good for him – I wish we could have kept him a couple of years longer: There was never a dull moment when he was on the pitch.
Andy Carroll will be 36 in a few months time. I it’s a miracle with his injury record that he’s still playing anywhere at all to be honest.