But if we do sign Arnautovic on a short term deal as back up, and proceed to sign the highly rated Sesko for the mid to long-term, then I see positives in that. Arnautovic might not be the best option available but his physical presence will give us a plan B off the bench, where the direct approach will become a viable option. We need a striker with a physical presence imo to become a more unpredictable team.
There's nothing horribly wrong with that logic.
But Arnautovic makes it a non-starter for many United fans - and rightly so, in my opinion.
Him being an unpalatable character is one thing (and bad enough - the club should know this, they should know it's a PR problem if nothing else) - but it's also the fact that we, as a club, seemingly lack the nous and/or imagination to dig up anyone beyond a mediocre and controversial player who happens to have worked with ten Hag in the past.
(And who - predictably - seems to be after a long-term contract to make matters even worse.)
That just isn't good enough - it's very, very worrying, in fact.