Niclas Fullkrug ‘loves’ what Malick Diouf told him as £19m newbie makes West Ham pledge

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No one at West Ham United was happier to see El Hadji Malick Diouf arrive at the Premier League outfit than Niclas Fullkrug.

A centre-forward who spent most of his time on the pitch during the 2024/25 campaign praying for service which would seldom arrive.

Niclas Fullkrug scored only three top-flight goals during his debut year in English football. But, when you consider that he averaged only 0.88 shots per match, it becomes slightly more apparent why a man so prolific in the Bundesliga struggled to translate his bullish Borussia Dortmund form into the claret and blue of West Ham United.

So no wonder El Hadji Malick Diouf’s arrival has Fullkrug so excited.

Niclas Fullkrug shares what El Hadji Malick Diouf told him at West Ham United

A £19 million left-back cut from the same cloth as former assist king Aaron Cresswell. Diouf impressed as West Ham beat Grasshopper Zurich on July 19th; His first appearance in front of the cameras.

The Hammers would face Ipswich Town in a pair of behind-closed-doors friendlies a few days later, however. A game in which Diouf’s qualities really came to the fore.

Speaking in an interview with former Upton Park stalwart Anton Ferdinand, Fullkrug reveals that it was he who fired West Ham to a 1-0 win in the first of two encounters with the Portman Road outfit. A trademark Fullkrug header, set up by the kind of delivery he spent much of last season crying out for.

“Against Ipswich, it worked. [Diouf] crossed and I scored the header, in the first game,” Fullkrug smiles. “This guy, I like the way he plays, how he communicates with me.”

This is not the first time Fullkrug has spoken in glowing terms about a 20-year-old Senegal international who provided seven goals and four assists in his final season at Slavia Prague.

Fullkrug found himself poring over Diouf’s stats – particularly his crosses-per-game metrics – and liked what he saw.

It appears that the latter did his homework on the former, too, much to the delight of a man hoping for happier times at the London Stadium from here on in.

“The first day, [Diouf] came to me and said; ‘I saw some videos of you. You were in between the defenders and you go to the first post, and I tried to find you [in that position against Ipswich]’,” Fullkrug reveals.

“I love it! This is what you need as a striker, you need players to assist for you.

“It’s so difficult [to defend crosses], even if no one is in the box it is difficult. For me, it is a very nice option to score goals. I’m very thankful that we’ve got a player like him.”

Fullkrug feels Graham Potter’s side will be much stronger after pre-season

Fullkrug believes that the lack of regular service last season was largely because the rest of the West Ham players had got used to playing a more transitional game with the speedy if diminutive Jarrod Bowen leading the line.

Long-term injuries suffered by both Fullkrug and Michail Antonio meant that Graham Potter’s squad had maybe fallen out of the habit of adopting a more direct, cross-focused gameplan.

“To be honest, it was difficult for the team last year. Mick was injured, I was injured, so they played most of the games without a striker,” Fullkrug explains, feeling that a full pre-season should help the Hammers attack the coming season with renewed self-confidence.

“Then, I was fit – not 100 per cent – but I was there, and you could see, we still didn’t cross! So it was difficult for [my team-mates] also.

“Before, we were like counter-attacking and it worked, so…

“[Pre-season] is very good for the group, you get to know each other much better. You have different training sessions, you have to get through together. It is so important, if you have six weeks just to get your body in a place without pressure.

“It’s worth so much.”