West Ham‘s recent history of signing strikers has been mixed, and that is being generous.
Tens of millions has been spent on names including Gianluca Scammaca, Sebastian Haller and Javier Hernandez yet Michail Antonio has admirably clung on to the number nine role despite seemingly perennial attempts to phase him out.
Now, the latest arrival to lead the Hammers’ line under new manager Julen Lopetegui is Niclas Fullkrug – a bruising 6 ft 2 in striker signed for £27m from Borrussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old Germany international spent his career between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga playing for Werder Bremen, Greuther Furth and Nurnberg and Hannover 96 before a return to Werder in 2019 of the back of a career best 14 top-flight goals with Hannover.
Always a consistent, committed and fearless target man, Fullkrug’s career renaissance began in the 2021-22 season where he scored nine goals and registered four assists propelling Werder to an immediate return to the Bundesliga.
In the 2022-23 season he scored ten goals in 14 matches which earned his first Germany call up – aged 29 – for the World Cup in Qatar in which he scored against Spain and Costa Rica.
He ended the season with 16 goals and five assists, helped Werder survive, sharing the Bundesliga golden boot and capturing the attention of Borussia Dortmund.
His single season in Dortmund bought another 12 goals and six assists in the league and ended with a start in the Champions League final after scoring three times and assisting twice on the road to Wembley.
Fullkrug then scored twice during hosts Germany’s run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, despite not starting a match.
A late bloomer at the top level, he seems to be entering his peak in his early 30s and has form and momentum behind him. He has worked his whole career for a crack at the big time and has seized every opportunity thus far with both hands.
Fullkrug will certainly not be daunted by the physicality of the Premier League and never overly relied on his pace so age is unlikely to be a major factor in that respect.
Expect towering headers across the goalkeeper to be a major fixture at the London Stadium next season.
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