'He had everything': Charlie Adam says player West Ham sold for £23m was absolutely 'phenomenal'
03/13/2025 02:15 PM
West Ham United have had their fair share of legendary players and cult heroes over the decades.
From icons of yesteryear like Bobby Moore to more recent legends like Mark Noble, there have been plenty of players who have lit up Upton Park and the London Stadium.
There have also been players who played for West Ham that never quite managed to ascend to legend status, but are still in the ‘streets won’t forget’ category.
Former Scotland international Charlie Adam has now spoken about a player who plied his trade for the Hammers in the late 2010s, deeming him “phenomenal”.
READ MORE: £17m player admits he's not sure if he'll be at West Ham next season
Charlie Adam says Marko Arnautovic ‘had everything’
The player in question is Marko Arnautovic, who played for West Ham between 2017 and 2019.
Arnautovic played at Stoke City prior to his Hammers move, during which Adam was one of his teammates.
Adam was speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast as he selected his best XI out of players he has played alongside.
Arnautovic made the cut up front, and Adam said the Austrian star – now at Inter Milan – could’ve played for the Premier League’s best clubs.
“Marko was a maverick but for me, I think he should have played at one of the top clubs,” said Adam.
“I know he played for Inter Milan, but I think he could have played for one of the big ones in the Premier League.
“He had everything – power, pace, personality, a great character – misjudged a little bit, but again you learn by mistakes.
“And you prejudge what he is, but when he came into the dress room he’s unbelievable, always wanted to have a laugh, always wanted to be the best player.
“I just loved playing with him, just give him the ball and – I actually at times used to give him the ball and just laugh because I knew he was just going to terrorize the left-back.
“I’ve seen sometimes, one game we were playing and he was just phenomenal, unstoppable, and that’s that’s what he did.”
How Marko Arnautovic fared at West Ham
Arnautovic joined West Ham from Stoke in 2017 in a deal worth up to £25million.
He got off to a rocky start to life at the London Stadium, getting sent off just 33 minutes into his second game for the club.
However, Arnautovic improved as the season went on, with David Moyes converting him from a winger into a centre-forward.
He ended up scoring 11 Premier League goals in his maiden season at West Ham and was voted the Hammer of the Year for the 2017/18 season.
Arnautovic played for West Ham until the summer of 2019, when he joined Shanghai SIPG for a fee worth around £23million.
His final tally at West Ham read 65 appearances, 22 goals and 12 assists.
