Rarely has the phrase ‘falling upwards’ ever seemed more appropriate, as Niclas Fullkrug prepares to swap a Premier League relegation battle with West Ham United for a Serie A title tilt at AC Milan.
From joining Benni McCarthy, Simone Zaza, Jonathan Calleri and Gianluca Scamacca on a sprawling list of striker flops in East London to following in the footsteps of Pippo Inzaghi, Andriy Shevchenko and Marco van Basten.
Niclas Fullkrug has tripped over his own shoelaces and somehow ended up sitting atop a sturdy old oak tree.
Milan reporter Carlo Pellegatti believes Fullkrug could arrive at the San Siro as early as Boxing Day.
For a West Ham United fanbase who have suffered the misfortune of seeing the 33-year-old lumber through Premier League matches, moving in slow motion while the opposition whirs around him in fast-forward, the sight of Fullkrug firing Milan to the Scudetto would surely test their very sanity to its limits.
Niclas Fullkrug is Milan-bound! ✈️ 🇮🇹
What deal would you have been happy with? And who should replace him?
According to German publication BILD, West Ham expect an agreement to be reached ‘soon’.
Now, it probably does not need explaining how the Hammers supporters feel about Fullkrug bringing an early end to his miserable 15 month spell in East London. The opinion of a Rossoneri fanbase who have seen some of the finest centre-forwards in footballing history break records in red and black, though, make for interesting, and more varied, reading.
AC Milan fans see the benefits of signing West Ham United striker Niclas Fullkrug
AC Milan are currently second in the Serie A table, one point behind rivals Inter. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have scored ten fewer goals than their city neighbours, however.
Santiago Gimenez has undergone surgery this week after picking up a long-term injury, to make matters worse. If Milan are to keep alive their hopes of only a second league title since Allegri’s first spell at the San Siro in 2011, their new number nine could conceivably be the difference between glory and disappointment.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Milan have gone all in on Fullkrug with Joshua Zirkzee, previously their leading target, determined to stay at Manchester United. Dusan Vlahovic is wanted as well, though this will have to wait until his Juventus contract expires.
Fullkrug is a short-term, stop-gap sort of solution, then. But a potentially inspired one, if Allegri can help him rediscover the form – and the fitness – of his Borussia Dortmund days.
“Fullkrug would actually be a decent signing in my opinion,” one Milan fan writes on social media, hoping that the West Ham misfit could also be a solid outlet for flying wingers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.
“Everything we are missing up top. He would give Leao or Pulisic more space to attack.”
“A loan plus obligation for Fullkrug to Milan as Gimenez is injured? Yeah, not a bad option to be fair,” another says.
“We need a goalscorer and we also need two Strikers with Gimenez injured. Fullkrug can hold up the play well, which suits Allegri. [Barcelona’s Robert] Lewandowski would have been the move, but I don’t expect any expensive purchases in January from this management.”
Why do you think Niclas Fullkrug failed?
Massimiliano Allegri has reservations about bringing Fullkrug to San Siro
The obvious comparison is Olivier Giroud.
Another throwback of a number nine, Giroud moved to Milan from Chelsea in his 30s. The venerable Frenchman would go on to score 49 goals in three seasons, leaving as something of a fan favourite while proving that age really is just a number.
There are, though, those who are keen to remind the pro-Fullkrug camp that lightning seldom strikes twice.
According to Massimo Brambati, Allegri expressed nagging concerns regarding Fullkrug over dinner with the Tuttomercatoweb reporter. Nuno accepts that injuries have wrecked Fullkrug’s West Ham career, and his fitness record is a concern for the man in the San Siro dugout as well.
“Gimenez dominated in a B league [the Dutch Eredivisie] but had difficulties in Italy and Milan, while Fullkrug failed in a tough league and now will be our saviour in an even tougher league? I have my doubts!” one pessimistic supporter writes.
“Last year, we got all hyped up for [Joao] Felix and Gimenez. Fullkrug has a much worse recent CV and I can’t delude myself that he’ll do well. These operations never work. Who knows when the end of the number nine curse will finally come? With this way of operating, I fear not anytime soon.”
“Is this supposed to be a joke?” another says in response to those Fullkrug links.
“No thanks.”
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