With the second round of the 1/8 finals of the UEFA Europa League at dawn on June 27, Austria bid farewell to the competition for the last eight with a 1-2 defeat against Italy. After the match, the Austrian international striker Arnautovic, who is playing for Shanghai Harbour in the Chinese Super League, said that his future may be moving towards Italy. Soon after, Italian media sources revealed via social media that Arnautovic will join Serie A side Bologna as a free agent. However, as of now, Arnautovic is still a member of the Harbor team, according to a report by Beiqing-Beijing Headlines.
In today's global professional soccer world, there is a high demand for standardization and rigor in work. Domestic clubs should remain cautious when facing matters such as player transfers and follow the spirit of contract, rules and laws and regulations to safeguard their rights and interests. At the moment, it seems difficult for Arnautovic to return to the Chinese market due to the impact of the epidemic as well as representing the national team in the World Preseason. However, the Harbor team has every reason to deal with his issue in accordance with procedures and rules. Even if Arnautovic moves on, the club can minimize its losses by fighting for a reasonable transfer fee.
Rumors of Arnautovic's transfer have been spreading rapidly since before he returned to Europe to prepare for the Europa League. After the start of the Europa League, there were even rumors that Arnautovic had signed a three-year contract with Bologna, earning a whopping 2.7 million euros a year.
After Austria were eliminated by Italy in the Europa League 1/8 final, Arnautovic had stated that his next stop could be Italy, even though he is still a member of Harbour. On June 28, Beijing time, an Italian media source claimed that Arnautovic has terminated his contract with Harbour and will join Bologna as a free agent.
However, the Beijin-Beijing headline reporter learned on June 29 that as of now, Arnautovic is still a signed player for the Seaport. There is no official word on whether he will move to another club.
Publicly available information shows that Arnautovic moved to then-Harbour in the 2019 season, with both parties under contract until the end of 2022. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Arnau accumulated 35 appearances for Harbor, scoring 17 goals. This season, he has made only four appearances for the team, scoring three goals. As of now, he has not won any titles for Harbor.
Of course, outsiders understand Arnautovic's desire to leave the Harbour. Affected by the epidemic, Arnautovic has been unable to join his family on several occasions last season and this season, so before the start of the Europa League, he expressed his homesickness in a tearful press conference.
Will Arnautovic return to the Premier League after the Europa League? From the current situation, this possibility is very small and almost non-existent. There are several reasons for this: firstly, due to the epidemic, Arnautovic will need to undergo the necessary quarantine when he returns to China, and by the time he is released from the quarantine, the subsequent matches of the Chinese Super League may have already started. Secondly, according to the current plan of the CFA and the Professional League Preparation Group, the CSL will finish the remaining nine rounds of the first phase on August 12th. Subsequently, the league will be temporarily suspended within September, October and November due to the national team's preparation and participation in the Top 12 tournament. Additionally, Arnautovic is personally homesick and has always sought the possibility of returning to Europe to play soccer. As the saying goes, "a twisted melon is not sweet", if the player is determined to leave, the club is afraid that he will not be forced to stay.
However, regardless of the form of transfer, Arnautovic needs to respect the club and the contract, and abide by the rules and laws. As Arnautovic is currently a Harbor player, it is not possible for him to move as a free agent unless the Harbor does not agree.
Back in the day the Harbour had brought in Arnautovic from West Ham United for a whopping fee of over €20 million. Now, it is rumored that he will move to Bologna on a free transfer? Such rumors are not logical in any case.
Previously, including Carrasco, Paulinho, Talisca, Xavi, Hamsik and many other internationally renowned stars have left the Chinese professional football world, although their transfer situation is different, but the relevant Chinese Super League clubs for their departure to suffer huge economic losses is a fact. Therefore, when the rumors of Arnautovic's transfer came to light, many fans have already called on Chinese Super League clubs to "stick to the bottom line of rules and contracts" in managing foreign aid. From the current situation, even if Arnautovic is determined to move, the new owner will need to pay the necessary transfer fee to the harbor.
