As Marko Arnautovic confirms his exit from Serie A giants Inter Milan, three words bounce around the heads of the more forgiving members of this West Ham United fanbase.
Not so much ‘here we go’ – Fabrizio Romano has spoken out about the veteran’s Serie A exit but is yet to shed any light on what comes next – but ‘one last dance’.
Would West Ham really welcome Marko Arnautovic back at the London Stadium with open arms? Or are the bridges he torched back in 2019, when forcing through a £22 million switch to the Chinese Super League, still merely a smouldering wreck at the bottom of the canyon?
This, of course, is nothing more than hypothetical.
While West Ham United are most certainly in the market for a centre-forward – St Etienne hitman Lucas Stassin is one to watch even if reports of talks taking place are wide of the mark – a man from Hammers past is likely to stay that way.
But, presuming the door to English football will remain closed to the well-travelled 36-year-old, what does the future hold for a man determined to make his World Cup dream a reality 12 months from now?
Former West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic faces Saudi Arabia decision
While confirming his departure from Serie A and Champions League runners-up Inter Milan – Paris Saint-Germain obliterated the Nerazzuri in Munich just one week after Scott McTominay fired Napoli to Scudetto glory at their expense – Arnautovic made it clear that there are still chapters to be written in a story full of flashpoints and dramatic plot twists.
“As a team, we’ve participated in the Euros three times,” said Arnautovic, capped 125 times by the Austrian national team. “But never in a World Cup.
“Participating in one is a personal goal of mine because, after the World Cup, it will be over for me.”
The implication being, of course, that Arnautovic will hang up his boots during the summer of 2026. In the meantime, the destinations most readily available to him appear to be the Saudi Pro League or a new challenge in Serbian football.
“He had two very successful years at Inter and repeatedly scored important goals for the club,” Marc Janko, a former teammate of Arnautovic with FC Twente and Austria, tells Sky Sport Austria. “When he looks back on that time, he can be proud.
“I hope he finds a club where he feels comfortable and gets playing time. You keep hearing about Saudi Arabia or Red Star [Belgrade]. He has many exciting options.”
Arnautovic could move to Serbia while Taty Castellanos makes Premier League call
A man who spent two years with Shanghai SIPG between 2019 and 2021, one suspects, may be open to the Middle East.
Arnautovic gave up on his Premier League career in favour of China back when the Far East was the preferred destination for all footballers looking to grow their fortunes, after all.
Should the former Werder Bremen, Stoke City and Bologna forward look to stay in Europe instead, he may find himself leading the line for a Red Star Belgrade outfit looking to secure a ninth successive Serbian SuperLiga title.
The Vienna-born Arnautovic is half-Serbian but has never before played in his mother’s homeland.
And, speaking of Saudi, the West Ham-linked Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos rejects the Middle East in favour of a potential switch to England.
Valued at £30 million, Castellanos scored 14 times for Lazio in 2024/25.
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