West Ham United’s hopes of finding a buyer for Niclas Fullkrug have now suffered another blow.
Solutions to their £27 million, £90,000-a-week problem, it seems, are not exactly plentiful.
A tally of one goal in 20 Serie A appearances in the second half of last season meant that AC Milan had no interest in triggering the purchase clause in Niclas Fullkrug’s loan deal. Even if it was worth somewhere in the region of just £5 million.
Only £1m spent… How are you feeling about West Ham’s slow summer?
When will the new signings arrive? 🥱
Former employers Werder Bremen ruled themselves out a long time ago. The Bundesliga outfit, for whom Fullkrug scored 45 goals in 90 games between 2019 and 2024, are going in a different direction, signing Cedric Itten from Fortuna Dusseldorf instead.
Proposed interest from the MLS and among other Bundesliga clubs has yet to appear.
As for Venezia, the Serie A newcomers with cash to splash, it seems they would rather splash said cash on another, younger, in-form centre-forward.
Venezia snub West Ham United’s Niclas Fullkrug for Sevilla’s Akor Adams
Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday evening that ‘Venezia have agreed a deal to sign Akor Adams from Sevilla’. The newly-promoted outfit are paying £13.5 million for the Nigeria international.
Adams, whose tally of ten goals in 21 La Liga starts helped Sevilla limp away from the relegation zone, is reported to have accepted their offer.
Back in June, it was alleged that Venezia were considering a move for Fullkrug. Considering that Adams is seven years younger, and scored more league goals last season than Fullkrug has across 46 appearances for West Ham and Milan, who can blame them for choosing the former over the latter?
This, in the words of Derek Zoolander, leaves the Hammers with a lot of things to ponder.
According to the The Athletic, West Ham have no plans to terminate Fullkrug’s contract and let him walk out the door for free. They have rejected such requests from unnamed suitors. It is even claimed that they hope to recoup £8 million of their initial £27 million investment.
The lack of interest, and the lack of offers, therefore feels like a wake-up call.
If you could pick ONE signing to kick off the Nils Koppen era, who are you choosing?
Tell us below 👇
Hammers still stuck with many Tim Steidten-era signings
The market may have gone a little mad this summer – Tottenham spent £85 million on Mateus Fernandes after two Premier League seasons and two Premier League relegations – but it seems that no one is insane enough to take a 33-year-old Fullkrug for £8 million. Not after a combined tally of four Premier League and Serie A goals across 1,846 minutes.
Unfortunately, Tim Steidten clearly didn’t consider the long-term implications when signed an already-31-year-old Fullkrug on a four-year contract.
Steidten’s Koln may yet liberate Edson Alvarez at the London Stadium.
Talks regarding a deal for the Mexican misfit are ongoing. But Alvarez, Fullkrug, James Ward-Prowse, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman and Maxwel Cornet are all still West Ham players with their first pre-season fixture of the summer – away to Southend United – just seven days away.
While there has been little movement on the incoming front – Keiber Lamadrid and young Jett Murphy are the only signings so far – the number of outgoings has also been frustratingly low.
A word of warning for Nils Koppen; West Ham’s new Director of Player Recruitment. Not that he was likely to anyway – Koppen prefers younger, more-long term targets – but it’s usually better not to sign 30-somethings for massive money while sticking them on a four-year deal.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
