Stoke chairman Peter Coates blasts Marko Arnautovic after he quit for West Ham in £25m deal

STOKE CITY chairman Peter Coates has launched a stinging attack on Marko Arnautovic after he quit the Potters for West Ham.

Coates accused the Austrian of showing no gratitude after the work Stoke put into rebuilding his career.

Arnautovic joined the Hammers in a £25million move after accusing Mark Hughes’ side of lacking ambition.

But Coates hit back and said he was “disappointed” in the wide man after he signed a new deal last year.

Arnautovic, 28, joined Stoke from Werder Bremen for a bargain £2.6million four years ago - and Hughes was credited with improving the player’s image after controversial spells at Inter Milan and Werder.

Jose Mourinho, who managed Arnautovic at Inter, said the big striker was “a fantastic person but has the attitude of a child”.

A close friend of infamous badboy Mario Balotelli, Arnautovic hit the headlines for borrowing and “losing” Samuel Eto’o’s new Bentley during his time in Milan.

Arnautovic was also known for injuring himself playing with his dog and cycling into a golf cart, while there were tales of bust-ups with team-mates and a policeman.

Steve McClaren, who coached the striker at FC Twente, reportedly said he is the craziest player he has ever managed.

However, since becoming a father, the Austrian has been credited with calming down and maturing.

Coates told TalkSport: “We're disappointed in Marko Arnautovic because we resurrected his career.

“We’re disappointed in him personally and the people around him.

“Our managers and coaches worked very hard to improve him and made him a name in the game.

“Last year we spent so much effort into giving him a long-term contract and the first thing we get in the summer he comes back is that he wants to leave.

“But the team is more important than the individual.”