For what was probably the first time in a while, Tony Cottee may have tuned in to watch West Ham United wishing he were still leading the line in the claret and blue kit of the Premier League outfit.
Niclas Fullkrug is excited about what the future holds at the London Stadium, and so he should be.
The Germany international was largely starved of service during an injury-hit debut season in English football. But, with El Hadji Malick Diouf now providing ammunition, Fullkrug is a centre-forward with his finger on the trigger once again.
Fullkrug hammered home a ‘ridiculous’ winner against Everton in Chicago. He followed that up three days later with another, far simpler effort.
A close-range tap-in – setting West Ham United on their way to a 2-0 win over AFC Bournemouth – which owed much to Diouf’s pinpoint delivery from the flank.
And Tony Cottee, the Hammers legend who knows a thing or two about life as a centre-forward, cannot help but view the addition of Diouf’s ‘unbelievable’ left boot as a potential turning point in Fullkrug’s claret and blue career.
Tony Cottee hails West Ham United newbie El Hadji Malick Diouf
Head coach Graham Potter highlighted Malick Diouf’s ‘really good’ deliveries after he created both of West Ham’s goals at the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The £19 million signing from Slavia Prague caused havoc with a wicked, curling ball towards the far post early on. Jarrod Bowen may have failed to convert but Fullkrug did not.
In the second half, Diouf claimed the first official assist of his Hammers career. Another delicious cross, gobbled up gratefully by a far-more sure-footed Bowen.
“Fullkrug has been injured, [he missed] so much of last season. But they tell me he is a real presence in the dressing room,” Cottee, who scored 146 goals in two spells at West Ham, tells talkSPORT. “He looks like he enjoys his football and I was really pleased [to watch Fullkrug score against Bournemouth] the other night.
“The crosses that came in from Diouf, unbelievable!”
No West Ham player has reached double figures for assists in a Premier League campaign since Jarrod Bowen [10] during the 2021/22 season.
Scorer of seven goals from his buccaneering wing-back role for the Czech champions last term, Diouf might just be the man to break that trend.
Cottee likens Diouf’s impact to Man United icon David Beckham
There were obvious shades of prime-Aaron Cresswell in the way he dropped a ball on a sixpence time and again versus Bournemouth, though Cottee is reminded of a bonafide English football icon.
“I get so frustrated watching modern football. They get the ball out wide and they don’t cross it. But the ball was going out to Diouf and he just whipped in two fantastic crosses that West Ham scored from,” Cottee adds.
“You look at [Manchester United legend] David Beckham as a great example. One touch, whip it in.
“And, as a forward, you don’t want the ball going out wide, [the winger] checking, then going back again. Just put the ball in the box! Defenders hate it, forwards love it. If I was Fullkrug, I would be excited.
“You’ve got [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka one side, you’ve got Diouf the other side. You’ve got Bowen as well. [Lucas] Paqueta, who can make things happen. There are some real positives for West Ham.”
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