by Niclas Fullkrug didn’t have the best start to life at West Ham United, did he?
West Ham paid around £22.5m to bring Niclas Fullkrug to the London Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window – a fee that could rise to £27.5m with performance-related add-ons.
Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten worked together over the summer and chose Fullkrug as an option after their pursuit of Jhon Duran reached a dead end.
Now this looks like a very big mistake.
Fullkrug is still out due to injury and it has been claimed that there are also concerns at the club about his overall fitness.
There is still no return date set for the former Dortmund player, and every week that passes without him in the squad raises more pressing questions for Lopetegui and Steidten.
You won’t believe what West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug said in August
I actually feel sorry for the German.
In my opinion, not only was he slowed into action by Lopetegui, but he also suffered an incredibly unfortunate and untimely injury during the last international break.
But something he said in August will make him shudder now.
When he moved to West Ham in the summer, Fullkrug made a truly stunning admission.
The German indicated that he was in the best shape of his life.
“I feel really good at the moment – I’m strong, fit and in great shape – and I just want to go out there and start playing for them.”
These comments look pretty silly now.
He was definitely unlucky with the problem he picked up while on international duty for Germany, but his injury record is a concern.
Since the start of the 2018/19 season, he has missed 89 games due to injury, including a complete break due to a torn cruciate ligament (Transfermarkt).
This is a big concern for me.
Fullkrug needs time to adjust
When the 31-year-old returns to action, we all need to be patient with him and give him enough time before making an appropriate judgment on him.
Fullkrug is a proven striker and has a successful history with Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Germany.
He’s a true old-school striker and if Lopetegui lets his wingers move close to him, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t succeed at the Hammers.
However, the prospects for him currently seem very bleak.
Niclas Fullkrug needs to score at least twelve goals for West Ham this season to be considered a success.
However, at the moment we don’t even know when he will be active again.
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