West Ham United captain Mark Noble has supported Marko Arnautovic's "life changing" move to China.
Shanghai SIPG have lodged an offer for the Austrian striker, reportedly worth £35m, and would see the former Inter Milan man earn £200,000-a-week.
In an incredibly candid column for the London Evening Standard, Noble admitted that the offer his teammate had received was too good to turn down and asked supporters to try and understand the decision.
"I could have moved at times for more money, but this club are part of my DNA. I grew up two minutes from Upton Park. It's different for Marko and everyone should try and take the emotion out of it and ask themselves: if you were given the opportunity to quadruple your salary, what would you do?
"That's the world we live in and it hurts me, because I love Marko. Would I blame him if he goes? No, although I would much rather he stayed. In the end he has to do the best for himself and his family in a relatively short career.
"If Marko had received an offer to go to Everton or Arsenal for an extra 10 or 15 grand a week, I would have said, 'Come on mate, stay.'
"I am also pretty sure he would have agreed with me. Four times your wages, though? Tax free? That's life changing."
