Everton ‘target’ Marko Arnautovic has already explained wake-up call amid bad boy reputation

Everton could be getting a very different Marko Arnautovic than fans remember.

The Toffees are in desperate need of reinforcements as they continue to battle the drop. Frank Lampard is fighting for his life, with pressure building on him and the Everton board. According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Toffees could tun to former West Ham United frontman Marko Arnautovic to fix their offensive struggles.

And Premier League fans are well acquainted with the Austria international, who spent two years at West Ham and four years at Stoke City before heading to Italy via Shanghai. The striker is now 33 years of age, and he could only be a short-term replacement for Everton, likely arriving on a loan deal, but it’s needs must for Lampard at the moment, and there may be a positive.

It seems Arnautovic is well aware of his reputation for stirring things up, showing a willingness to learn during his career.

Speaking upon arrival at Bologna, he was asked about a short stint he had at Inter Milan earlier in his career. He said: “They are more professional than before. I was not a professional at Inter. I was training to finish as soon as possible. And then you know how to live in Milan, yes? You are young, you have a good contract, you stay in Inter, you know everyone. It’s not easy. But I have to tell the truth: our guys are very professional. Training, gym, they eat well.”

Speaking about his reputation and his approach, Arnautovic added: “Everyone tells me, even my family. But I don’t have to think about the past, I have to look forward, to the future. Inter’s Arnautovic and today’s Arnautovic are different, it’s another world. Many things have changed me: my daughters, my family, my wife.

“My wife worked a lot with me. At the beginning of our story I had the head of a child, I wanted to go out, be with friends, with my brother. She always said: ‘Marko you have to change, change, change.’ It’s hard to explain, but at nineteen I couldn’t be where I am now, here, in a press room, with you, like this. I thought I don’t care shit who you are. No. Now I have a lot of respect for everyone. You do your job one hundred percent, and I have a lot of respect for that.”