Matching Paolo Di Canio’s West Ham United legacy is tough for any player, yet Niclas Fullkrug barely came within a lightyear of the Upton Park icon during his ill-fated season-and-a-half of Premier League football.
Fullkrug admitted his Hammers spell didn’t go as intended when sealing his long-awaited move to Italian giants AC Milan last week.
Talk about falling upwards.
Niclas Fullkrug snuck out the back door at a West Ham United side adrift in the bottom three before tonight’s clash with Nottingham Forest, and joined a Milan side just one point off bitter rivals Inter in the Scudetto race.
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Pablo and Castellanos in? Earthy at 10? A start for Mayers?
Fullkrug made his Rossoneri debut against Cagliari on Friday night in a 1-0 win.
And the aforementioned Paolo Di Canio is confident that Fullkrug can make an impact with the seven-time European champions, albeit only if he stays clear of the sort of injury issues which wrecked his Hammers stay.
Paolo Di Canio praises Milan for signing West Ham United flop Niclas Fullkrug
Nuno Espirito Santo blamed those injuries for Fullkrug’s struggles. The Germany international started only 11 Premier League matches, scoring three goals, after a £27 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund in August 2024.
And while it’s fair to say his performances left a lot to be desired, one wonders how differently things may have gone if Fullkrug had been able to put together a run of starts at the very top of his game.
“He struggled and had a lot of injuries at West Ham,” Di Canio now tells Sky Sports Italia. “Five or six muscle injuries in a year and a half.
“Here at Milan, he needs to switch off [and focus on football]. He’s a dominant player. He needs to be managed well because he’s someone who can make the difference.
“Between him and [Ruben] Lofuts-Cheek, one metre 90 [tall], you can make the difference not only with set pieces but also from open play.”
Fullkrug has already ‘surprised’ the Serie A giants
Italian football has a long and storied history of 30-something number nines entering something of a golden period when many of their contemporaries are winding down.
Milan sporting director Igli Tare believes Fullkrug can do the same, wearing the number nine shirt made iconic by Pippo Inzaghi, Marco van Basten and George Weah.
“He’s a player who brings a lot of experience and physicality to the game. He has those characteristics,” Tare told Sky Sports Italy and DAZN before Friday’s 1-0 win in Sardinia. “He’s surprised us all a bit. This week, he’s shown a lot of enthusiasm but, above all, a pretty good physical presence.
“He’s currently [able to play] around 30 to 40 minutes.”
“We decided to bring him in a bit early, in agreement with West Ham, to give us the chance to integrate him into the team and make our first signing in the January transfer window.
“We made the move in time. We were missing some characteristics. After [Santiago] Gimenez’s injury, we did a good job of bringing in Fullkrug. He’ll help us with our goals.”
Where will West Ham v Nottingham Forest be WON and LOST? ⚒️
And who needs to step up?
Nuno Espirito Santo hails Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos signings
Speaking of goals, West Ham have brought in Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos from Gil Vicente and Lazio with a focus on exactly that.
Both will be in contention to make their Premier League debuts against Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest in what feels like a make-or-break game following that Molineux debacle three days earlier.
Nuno admits that further signings are needed, though. Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell remains a target.
Al Nassr goalkeeper Matheus Bento has been linked as well at the beginning of the week.
“We are in a good moment of rebalancing the squad,” Nuno said during his press conference on Monday. “Two players have come in [Pablo and Castellanos], who I consider good options and players who can help, and we also need the players here to improve and help make the situation better.
“We still need more players. We need to rebalance some positions. We have players going out.
“I think all of us and the players realise that they need help.”
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