Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United. Premier League.
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Tuesday 29 January 2019 11:36, UK
Marko Arnautovic is expected to be back in the West Ham squad for their trip to Wolves on Tuesday.
The Austria forward missed the last two matches, defeats at Bournemouth in the Premier League and AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup, after having his head turned by big-money offers from China.
But less than half-an-hour after the shock defeat to Wimbledon, the Hammers suddenly announced that the 29-year-old had signed a contract extension.
West Ham boss Pellegrini was not at all impressed by the whole episode but was glad to draw a line under the saga after admitting it had affected his side's performances.
"I have a lot of excuses why we lost at Wimbledon, one of those was that the January transfer window can cause damage to the team," he said.
"For all the issues that a player wants to go, they have other options. But I am happy that Marko has finished his issue, he is happy here. I hope that we will have the player that he can be in the coming games.
"A lot of things affect the players, that's why I don't want to continue talking about that because I don't want to make excuses," he added. "We made a mistake and we lost a game against Wimbledon. I hope that now - the transfer window is closed - that not only Marko but other players who are hearing some offers, they will be concentrated on what we must do."
Meanwhile, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo insists he would expect his players to ignore transfer speculation after Arnautovic's saga at West Ham.
Nuno did not refer to Arnautovic by name but would want any of his squad to keep their focus.
"You have to distance yourself to what is going on around you and do it as a group, sticking to our ethic of working hard," he said. "It's simple - work, focus. What is important is what you do in the training session, what you do during the competition.
"When a manager doesn't have all the players, something is missing. Every team, when all the players are available, it's easier. They have quality players all over the pitch. Knowing what we want to do requires a lot of effort."
Willy Boly serves the final game of his three-match ban. The defender was sent off against Manchester City earlier this month and has missed games against Leicester and Shrewsbury.
Rui Patricio, Raul Jimenez, Jonny and Diogo Jota are expected to return after Saturday's 2-2 FA Cup draw at Shrewsbury.
Lucas Perez is out with an ankle knock while Jack Wilshere, Fabian Balbuena, Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini, Winston Reid and Carlos Sanchez are still injured.
West Ham are doing well in the league so that's what was so frustrating about their defeat in the FA Cup to AFC Wimbledon.
Fair play to Wimbledon but letting in four goals at Wimbledon just shouldn't happen.
It was a shocking result for Manuel Pellegrini's side and I think they are going to struggle at Wolves.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (8/1 with Sky Bet)
