Arnautovic situation will provide Pellegrini with a major test of his management

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Marko Arnautovic is expected to remain at West Ham United beyond the end of the transfer window, according to Sky Sports.

The Austrian hitman was edging closer to a move to the Chinese Super League, but Sky Sports report that the switch is off because of a failure to match the Hammers’ £50m asking price.

Both Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG were reportedly interested in Arnautovic, and two recent developments made it seem as if a switch to China was imminent.

He waved goodbye to the home supporters when he was substituted in the 1-0 win over Arsenal last week, and then was left out of the weekend defeat to Bournemouth, because of his frame of mind.

But now Manuel Pellegrini faces the prospect of reintegrating his best player into a side he was recently prepared to leave, and that creates a conundrum.

Arnautovic is a popular player within the ranks – and perhaps professionals would understand why a player would move to China to maximise his wages – but there are bound to be problems with bringing somebody who was prepared to leave back into the fold.

But getting the fans back onside may be tougher – they will not like the idea that a player would want to trade in their admiration for riches – and it will be interesting to see how Pellegrini approaches the situation.