Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam believes Marko Arnautovic has to improve his all-round game if he is to be a success at West Ham United.

The Austrian winger is poised to join the Hammers in a potential £24million deal and would become their record signing in the process.

But Adam, who has been a teammate of Arnautovic for the past four years, believes the 28-year-old must work harder defensively if he is to avoid the wrath of the West Ham faithful.

“He will need to improve because he’s going to be the record signing, and the West Ham fans, they won’t take anything,” the Scotland international said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.

“They won’t take him not tracking back, covering the full-back, helping his own full-back – they will be on him so he’ll have to improve.

“Maybe at our place he can get away with it a little bit because going forward he’s a match winner and coming to a team like West Ham they need someone like that.

“He’s got the talent to go play for one of the big ones but he’s going to West Ham because sometimes going back the way he doesn’t do as well as he should do.”

Despite his inconsistent defensive work Adam maintains it is a blow for Stoke to lose a player of Arnautovic’s quality to a club in and around them.

As a result the Scotland man insists his team have to recruit well in preparation for next season.

“He was in yesterday saying his goodbyes and it’s a shame because he’s been excellent for us over the four years he’s been there,” the 31-year-old added.

“He’s been terrific on the pitch and off the pitch as well.

“It’s a blow and when the money – I think they signed him for £2.5m and they sell him for something like £24m – it’s hard to turn down but it’s difficult to see that we are selling our best players to clubs that are going to be round us in the summer and next season.

“We have to recruit well now and look forward to next season.”