West Ham have shown significant signs of improvement under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini but it seems there will be a huge loss sustained during the January window.
It is widely reported that Marko Arnautovic is closing in on a move to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG, which would provide a considerable hit to the Hammers’ forward line, but the departure is not comparable to Dimitri Payet’s in 2017.
That is because, while the two players are comparable, West Ham’s squad is much better equipped now than it was under Slaven Bilic’s reign and the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and a rejuvenated Michail Antonio will help to fill the void.
Back in Payet’s time, he was undoubtedly the leading man in east London and the Hammers suffered without him. While losing Arnautovic is also a major blow, it should not cause the same problems as fans witnessed previously.
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