"Did you raise eyebrows when they paid over £20 million for Marko Arnautovic who was a teammate of yours at Stoke?" Mark Chapman asked Jonathan Walters on Match of the Day 2 Extra on Sunday afternoon.
Walter's answered with such honesty, it would make look forward with anticipation should he choose to make punditry a regular gig once he retires.
Arnautovic, like Walters, departed Stoke during the summer. The Irish international did so amicably, it was no so for the Austrian. The 28-year-old said he wanted to join West Ham as "it’s a bigger, more ambitious club". Stoke had a parting shot at Arnautovic when announcing the arrival of Jese Rodriguez from PSG later in the summer.
Walters questioned the consistency of Arnautovic's performance along with his willingness to make an effort defensively. He also suggested that Arnautovic and others at West Ham will not have the fortitude required for a relegation battle.
Marko could turn it on last year, over the last couple of years and when he's on it, he's on it. But how many games did he do it during the course of the season? Would he do the other side of it was the issue with him? And could he do it consistently?
For me, it was probably a good deal for Stoke. Then again, it's a step up probably for Marko. He's probably gone and doubled his wages or whatever. He has to step up. Has he done it? You would say he hasn't.
When he's on it, he's on it but that seems like the type of player he has at the club. When things aren't going their way, they won't be digging in.
Jonathan Walters' answer on his former team-mate Marko Arnautovic's move to West Ham is pretty telling #WHUFC #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/giLyryCqTk
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 5, 2017
