Is Marko Arnautovic capable of turning the problem zone called Manchester United into fertile ground? Well, the new Red Devils coach Erik ten Hag is actually targeting the Austrian. The reason for this lies in an acute shortage of strikers in the record champions, who have been waiting for another title in the Premier League since 2013. United has offered 12 million euros so far, but that’s not enough for Bologna FC. In any case, intensive negotiations are currently underway, and the 33-year-old’s management has not yet confirmed an upcoming transfer, but there is a lot to be said for it.
Arnautovic has plenty of experience in the English top flight from his time at Stoke and West Ham, and the ÖFB team star scored 48 goals in 210 games. The Viennese’s contract with Bologna runs until the summer of 2024. The championship in the Italian Serie A starts at the weekend, today Bologna hosts the Cup Cosenza.
How urgently United needed an offensive force with a goal was revealed yesterday in the first round. In the home game once morest Brighton it was a 1:2 home defeat. The opponent won for the first time in history at Old Trafford. ManUnited only had one own goal to counter two goals scored by German Pascal Groß. Marcus Rashford missed two seaters. After the match, Ten Hag said that, despite Cristiano Ronaldo coming on as a substitute but willing to leave, he missed the necessary impetus for the attack that Arnautovic had expected and needed. It remains to be seen to what extent Bologna, for whom the Austrian scored 14 goals last season, will be willing to make concessions. For Arnautovic, an engagement in the late phase of his career would be a dream come true.
Erling Haaland hit the ground running in his first competitive game for Manchester City. The goalscorer caught the reputation that preceded him at Arnautovic’s former club West Ham and scored both goals in the 2-0 win, the first from a penalty he conceded himself, the second from an ideal assist from Spielmacher Kevin De Bruyne.
