Euro 2024 will remind Stoke City how good £2 million transfer was: View | OneFootball

Marko Arnautovic was great for the Potters and is set to lead the line for Austria at the Euros

Highlights

Keen-eyed Stoke City fans will spot four of their former players lining up for their respective nations at Euro 2024 this summer.

First-choice Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn is the most recent ex-Potters player at the Euros - he made 15 appearances during an injury-hit loan spell from Southampton in the 2020/21 Championship season under Michael O'Neill.

Going back further to the club's top-flight years, winger Xherdan Shaqiri is at his third Euros with Switzerland at 32-years-old, after shining for Stoke during his three-year stint from 2015 to 2018, while his ex-teammate Joselu has made the Spain squad after a prolific few seasons in his native country with Alaves, Espanyol and now Real Madrid.

One player that is in the competition and will also have Stoke fans reminiscing over the good old days of the Premier League is Austrian international Marko Arnautovic, who arrived in the Potteries from Werder Bremen on a four-year deal for just £2m in September 2013.

That fee proved to be a bargain, as Arnautovic became an instrumental part of Mark Hughes' squad and contributed to some iconic wins in his four years at the club - he'll be leading the line for Austria this summer, and Potters fans will no doubt be looking out for his performances.

Arnautovic achieved cult hero status at Stoke

Stoke certainly got their money's worth when it came to Arnautovic, given the modest fee paid and the moments of magic that he conjured up during his four-year stay.

He was 24-years-old upon arrival, and had previously turned out for boyhood club FC Twente, Inter Milan and Bremen and built a reputation as a hot-headed, 'bad-boy of Austrian football,' while also once being described as "a fantastic person but with the attitude of a child," by Jose Mourinho.

Arnautovic was given the number 10 shirt upon arrival at Stoke, and was an instant hit with supporters for his eccentric persona on and off the pitch - he netted his first goal for the club with a long-range free-kick against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and registered 14 goal involvements in 35 games in all competitions in his first season as he helped the club place 9th, their highest league finish since 1975.

He then struggled to kick on in his second campaign and netted just one goal - a 95th-minute equaliser against West Ham - in 29 league games, as he lost his place in Hughes' starting XI at points but returned to consistency towards the end of the season.

The 2015/16 season was his finest in a Potters shirt as he registered 12 goals and six assists in 40 games in all competitions, with winners in games against Aston Villa (away), Chelsea and Everton, braces against Villa at home and Manchester City, and another superb free kick against Manchester United to finish as the club's top scorer for the campaign.

He signed an improved four-year contract in the summer of 2016 and continued playing well in the 2016/17 season as he notched seven goals and six assists in 35 games in all competitions, but began to cut a frustrated figure towards the end of the campaign and handed in a transfer request in July.

He moved to West Ham that same month for a club-record sale of £20m, and his exit left a sour taste in the mouths of Potters fans that is still felt by some today - he soon returned to the bet365 Stadium that December with the Hammers to a chorus of boos by Stoke supporters, which were only heightened when he scored after 75 minutes in a 3-0 win for his new club.

He is now with Italian side Bologna, and has just completed a second loan spell of his career at Inter - winning Serie A for the second time in the process.

Arnautovic may have left Stoke in unpleasant circumstances, but it was a good move for his career at the time and his legacy at the club is what will be remembered fondly in years to come, so Potters fans will certainly relish the opportunity to watch him again on the biggest stage for Austria at Euro 2024.

Arnautovic is an Austrian legend

The 35-year-old is now into his sixteenth year playing for his country, after making his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Faroe Islands in 2008 at just 19-years-old.

He is undoubtedly a legendary figure in Austrian football, as the most capped player in his national team's history with 112 appearances since his debut and the second-highest all-time top goalscorer for his country with 36 goals, just eight behind record-holder Toni Polster.

At international level, similar to his club career, he has become more prolific as he has got older after benefitting from a switch to a central striking role during his time at West Ham - he scored 11 goals in his first 56 games for Austria, yet has netted 25 times in the same number of games since.

He has history at the European Championships too, after netting his country's third goal in a 3-1 win in their first game of Euro 2020 against North Macedonia.

While his influence on the national team has waned in recent months, taking part in just six of their last 14 games in all competitions due to injuries and selection decisions, he will still undoubtedly be a key player at Euro 2024 under former-Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick.

If he does feature, Stoke fans will be able to watch him in action and be reminded of just how enjoyable it was to watch him in red and white.