West Ham United have achieved unthinkable things over the past couple of years, making numerous memories that the fanbase will never forget.
The obvious feat will be the Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina during the 2022/23 campaign, ending the club’s 58-year wait for a more European title.
Whilst the move to the London Stadium was frowned upon given the historical nature of the Boleyn Ground, it’s allowed the club to reach the next level and compete with Europe’s elite whilst boasting one of the most impressive stadiums in England.
New boss Julen Lopetegui will be hoping to lead the club to further European success whilst also competing in the Premier League and aiming to push the club further up the table in order to replicate their recent success.
They’ve achieved all these feats without one player who was once a key player in East London, but left in a controversial manner following his time with the Hammers.
Marko Arnautovic’s time at West Ham
Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic moved to West Ham in the summer of 2017 for £24m – a deal that broke the club’s transfer record in the process.
The seemed a hefty one at the time given the fact he was joining from Stoke City, but in hindsight, the deal was great business, with the attacker producing some excellent numbers during his time at the London Stadium.
Arnautovic registered 11 goals and eight assists in all competitions for the Hammers, as he helped the club register a 13th-placed Premier League finish during his debut campaign in the capital.
He would go on to register the same number of goals in the 2018/19 season, but couldn’t match his assist tally – however, it did contribute to the Hammers registering a top half finish for the first time in three seasons.
However, it would be his final contribution for the Hammers, departing the club in a controversial manner following months of speculation.
Arnautovic’s move away from West Ham
The striker was subject to a £35m bid from an unnamed Chinese League side during the January transfer window back in 2019, but the club’s hierarchy would reject the offer for the former Stoke ace.
He would demonstrate his displeasure at the club’s decision to prevent the move, expressing his desire to leave the London outfit and even refusing to feature for the Hammers after their failure to accept a bid for his services.
After months of discontent and speculation around his future at the club, West Ham decided to honour his request in the summer window of 2019, accepting a £23m bid from Chinese side Shanghai SIPG, ending his two-year stay with the Hammers.
He left the club amassing a tally of 22 goals in his 65 appearances – an average of one goal every 2.9 matches he featured – whilst near enough breaking even on the fee paid for his signature just two years prior.
Given his rapid decline in market value since his move away from the club five years ago, the club’s hierarchy made the right call in allowing him to make the big-money move away from the London Stadium.
Arnautovic’s market value in 2024
Five years on from his move away from West Ham, his market value has continued to plummet, with the now 35-year-old currently plying his trade for European giants Inter Milan.
Whilst he’s still featuring at the top level despite coming to the back end of his professional career, his market value has dropped dramatically – further showcasing why the club made the right call to allow him to leave back in 2019.
According to Transfermarkt, Arnautovic is now only valued at £3.3m – a drop of nearly £20m from the fee that they sold him for less than five years ago – an excellent decision in hindsight.
June 2019
£35m
June 2020
£8.2m
June 2021
£6.3m
June 2022
£5m
June 2023
£4.2m
June 2024
£3.3m
Whilst he was a success during his time at the London Stadium, his actions towards the end of his tenure gave the club no option but to offload him.
His decline in value demonstrates that although his impact at the top end of the pitch was sorely missed, they made the right call in selling him whilst his value was at its peak.
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