The agent and brother of former West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic has opened up on why the Austria international ended up at the London Stadium rather than bitter rivals Chelsea.
Spending two years in East London following his £25 million move from Stoke City in 2017, one of Marko Arnautovic’s most memorable moments came against the club who tried to sign him before the Hammers came calling.
He scored the only goal of the game as West Ham United defeated Chelsea on home soil nearly a decade ago. One of 21 he struck across 59 appearances in claret and blue.
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The manner of the defeat would have stung greatly for visitors Chelsea, especially considering they tried and failed to take Arnautovic to Stamford Bridge while he was leading the line in Staffordshire.
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Danijel Arnautovic was speaking this week on Yellow Red – the UNICOPE Football Talk Show.
“The move to Stoke City was the right step. It was outstanding. Between Stoke and West Ham, he played top-level Premier League football for four years,” Danijel says of his now 37-year-old brother.
“[But] there, he faced a bit of bad luck again. In the winter of 2015 or 2016, Chelsea wanted to sign Marco. Antonio Conte was the manager, and on the final days of the transfer window around January 29th or 30th, they sent an offer.
“Stoke City called and said he wasn’t for sale because they couldn’t find a replacement mid-season. We didn’t put on immense pressure to force the move because Stoke had given Marco a massive opportunity.
“Then, he moved to West Ham.”
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In what would have been a remarkable twist, David Sullivan attempted to bring Arnautovic back to West Ham following his departure from Italian giants Inter Milan in 2025.
He would move to Serbia – the nation of his birth – with Red Star Belgrade instead.
Still a potent goalscorer despite his advanced age, Arnautovic heads to the World Cup as Austria’s record all-time goalscorer having moved within touching distance of a half-century on the international stage.
Reflecting on that move from Stoke to West Ham at the peak of Marko’s powers, Danijel says;
“Personally, I considered the West Ham name an upgrade. While Stoke and West Ham were on a somewhat similar competitive level at the time, West Ham’s brand and presence in London at the Olympic Stadium put them on a completely different tier.”
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