West Ham's Marko Arnautovic should take China opportunity, says Odion Ighalo

Marko Arnautovic should take the opportunity to leave West Ham and move to China, Changchun Yatai striker Odion Ighalo has told Sky Sports News.

The Hammers turned down a £35m bid from an unnamed Chinese club - believed to be Shanghai SIPG - for Arnautovic last week, but the forward is keen to make the move.

Ighalo moved to China from Watford two years ago, and he has advised Arnautovic to follow in his footsteps and move to the Chinese Super League.

He said: "I would say take the chance if you want to. He has the final decision, but I would say he should take the chance.

"Shanghai is a good city. It's just like London - it's big, there's a lot of foreigners there and they speak English. It's one of the best cities in China.

"They have a lot of foreigners there and it would be good for him. The culture and the life there is different, but when you are focused on playing football you won't have any problems."

Arnautovic has spent the last five-and-a-half years in the Premier League, having joined Stoke from Werder Bremen before moving to West Ham in 2017.

However, Ighalo says Arnautovic would find life in China far different from the one he enjoys in England, saying: "The league is totally different from the Premier League. The Premier League is the best and one of the toughest leagues in the world.

"The training is not tough like in England. In England it is very difficult - you have to run every game.

"The league is still growing. They have a lot of foreign players and managers coming in and bringing new ideas. It's getting better and better."

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