Everton transfer news: David Moyes said Marko Arnautovic is good enough for top-four club

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Everton have been linked with a surprise move for former West Ham United star Marko Arnautovic – a player who David Moyes once said is good enough for a top-four club.

The Toffees missed out on Arnaut Danjuma yesterday after Tottenham hijacked a move for the 25-year-old.

Danjuma looked set to complete a switch to Goodison Park after The Daily Mail reported that he had even completed a medical at Finch Farm, as well as his media duties.

Everton will now need to move quickly before next week’s deadline to bring in another option for whoever ends up replacing Frank Lampard.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay have really struggled to provide goals so far this season and they could turn to Arnautovic as a result.

The Daily Mail reported yesterday that the Toffees are weighing up a £13 million move for Arnautovic after missing out on Danjuma. 

The outlet notes that club chiefs could now move for the 33-year-old in an attempt to bring in a goal scorer before the window shuts.  

The Bologna striker enjoyed a six-year spell in the Premier League with Stoke City and West Ham. He particularly impressed in west London as former Everton boss, David Moyes, converted him from a wide player into a striker.

And the Scotsman waxed lyrical about his ability back in 2018, claiming he could play for a top-four Premier League side.

Moyes on Arnautovic

“Marko is really important to West Ham. They need him. He can play for a top-four club, he’s good enough,” he told TalkSPORT.

“He’s got the ability. He can play with the top players and considers himself a top player – you’ve got to remember he’s already been at the likes of Inter Milan before.

“But where do you get that level of striker or forward player now? They’re really hard to find. Marko’s change from a winger to a centre forward has really reinvented him.

“When we arrived at West Ham the punters weren’t having him, and to be fair if you had watched him a lot at Stoke you’d have questioned him.

“But the minute he moved to centre forward he was a revelation. He changed completely. He can score, he’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s got energy.

“That was always the thing questioned about Marko – did he run, what was his attitude like – but we found him great to work with.

“There was a period last season where he was making more sprints in the Premier League than any other player.”

Arnautovic has netted eight times in 14 Serie A appearances this season and was even linked with a surprise move to Manchester United over the summer.

The Austrian striker has proven in the past that he is capable of scoring goals in the Premier League, but Everton fans may have doubts over whether he is capable of helping them avoid relegation this season.

Moyes once described him as ‘unplayable‘ during his time at West Ham, but would Everton be getting the same player nearly five-years later?