There could be a new go-to West Ham United player in Fantasy Premier League.
Marko Arnautovic (£7.0m) is currently the most owned outfield player at West Ham, with 23 per cent of FPL managers selecting him on the back of his 11 goals and seven assists last season.
However, many are waiting to assess the Austrian before putting him in their squads.
Arnautovic has been reclassified in the game from a midfielder to a forward, but it remains unclear where the new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini will use him.
The signing of Andriy Yarmolenko (£7.0m) offers a solution to FPL bosses.
New midfield option
The winger has joined the Hammers after three goals and two assists in 18 league appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season. He produced 31 shots and created 28 chances in only 1,041 minutes of action.
Yarmolenko’s record in internationals further highlights his potential. With 35 goals in 77 appearances he is Ukraine's second-highest goalscorer.
And he is the fifth-highest scorer in Ukrainian Premier League history, with 99 goals in 228 league matches.
Yarmolenko is expected to play on the wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation for Pellegrini.
His eye for goal could boost West Ham's attacking threat and the FPL potential of his team-mates.
Yarmolenko v West Ham midfielders
| 2017/18 | Yarmolenko | Antonio | Lanzini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mins/shot | 33.6 | 39.9 | 46.5 |
| Mins/shot in box | 45.3 | 104.5 | 93.1 |
| Mins/chance created | 37.2 | 97 | 51.2 |
Only three teams had fewer shots than West Ham’s 372 last season and Arnautovic and Chicharito (£6.5m) were the only players to score more than five goals.
With Arnautovic reclassified and Manuel Lanzini (£6.5m) out injured, Yarmolenko looks the star pick of West Ham's midfield.
The best of @Yarmolenko_9 vs Wycombe Wanderers... pic.twitter.com/sMGvOSRv7a
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) July 17, 2018