There has been much debate around the signing of Niclas Fullkrug and it has not stopped West Ham being linked with Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran.
When news emerged that West Ham were switching their attentions from Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran, to Niclas Fullkrug some fans were disappointed.
The contrasting profiles of Aston Villa’s 20-year-old Colombian and veteran forward Fullkrug was not lost on Hammers supporters.
Duran being a young, somewhat raw, pacy forward who is relatively unproven at the top level but could potentially be West Ham’s main striker for years to come.
And Fullkrug, 11 years his senior with a vast wealth of experience at the top level having been a late bloomer but with the clock ticking down on his career in the coming seasons.
Some supporters who were excited at the prospect of signing Duran from Aston Villa have been critical of of the signing of Fullkrug.
Alarming Fullkrug video shows confirms West Ham fears
Many observers feel there are better long-term replacements out there for West Ham’s ageing Michail Antonio. And there have been concerns over Fullkrug’s lack of pace in a league which demands it from strikers.
Duran showed exactly what West Ham would be getting when he made a telling impact from the bench by scoring the winner for Villa at the London Stadium on the opening day.
Speculation continues to abound that West Ham could yet sign Duran from Aston Villa before the deadline.
Especially amid big transfer news regarding striker deals involving Villa and Chelsea.
According to a report from Give Me Sport, West Ham are still trying to sign Duran from Aston Villa before Friday’s 11pm deadline.
And an alarming Fullkrug video shows why West Ham simply must sign Aston Villa star Duran.
West Ham’s technical director Tim Steidten knows Fullkrug well from their time together at Werder Bremen.
Steidten explained why he signed Fullkrug amid the debate among West Ham fans.
But Hammers supporters had to wait until the Carabao Cup tie against Bournemouth to get a proper look at their new £23.5m man.
Fullkrug started his first game for the Hammers in the 1-0 win.
There were glimpses of his quality and he was an absolute menace in the air.
As with everything at West Ham right now, things are very much a work in progress.
It is fair to say it was not a performance to get supporters particularly excited about what’s to come.
Now a video posted online from the game shows a moment where the worst fears of West Ham fans were played out in full view.
Footage shows why West Ham must sign Villa star Duran
The big German’s lack of pace was brutally exposed in one telling moment.
Fullkrug is around five yards offside in one move, giving him a big headstart as he chases a ball in behind.
But despite his advantage – and unaware he was offside – Fullkrug is caught and beaten to the ball.
Make no mistake this is not a dig at Fullkrug by any stretch of the imagination.
He does what it says on the tin and the ex Dortmund man has all the ingredients to be a proper Hammers cult hero.
It’s not Fullkrug’s fault he lacks speed. The world and its wife knows he lacks pace, it’s no secret.
West Ham will surely have a plan to get the right service to him and try to ensure he is not the latest in a long line of strikers who struggles in east London.
And playing a ball into the channel for him to chase is definitely not the kind of service that suits the 31-year-old.
If West Ham are to get anything like the best out of Fullkrug, he needs to be in and around the box where his link-up play is excellent, where he is a threat in the air and of course where his unerring finishing comes into play.
Hammers need pace up top to mix it up
The video clearly shows, though, that West Ham simply must bring pace into the squad up top.
Danny Ings certainly doesn’t offer that and truthfully neither does 34-year-old Antonio anymore.
Duran showed at the London Stadium he is a big and deceptively strong presence who can hold up the ball and has pace to burn.
He also looks the real deal when it comes to finishing with a traction engine of a shot on him.
If there is any way to get Duran in the door before the window closes, West Ham must do it.
Then the Hammers can really start dreaming of a genuine tilt at the European spots and maybe even some cup success.
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