West Ham star admits ‘risky’ £23m summer move HASN’T worked – after playing just five times in four months due to ‘catastrophic’ injury
- Niclas Fullkrug signed for West Ham from Borussia Dortmund in a busy summer
- The Germany international did not get going in England and scored only once
A summer signing at West Ham has admitted his move to the club will not work out just four months after signing.
The player in question joined the Hammers for a fee of £23 million in August, as Julen Lopetegui looked to strengthen his attacking ranks.
However, the attacker has been plagued by injuries since his arrival, meaning he has only made five appearances this season.
With just one goal to his name, Niclas Fullkrug did not mince his words when assessing the state of affairs in the Premier League.
“Absolutely terrible,” he told the newspaper Copa TS podcast.
‘Of course I also had very intensive discussions about such a risky step – because I knew I was taking a step deeper and taking a certain risk that I would not play internationally (in Europe) next year, maybe not the year after. neither, and that I would make a big, big change.
Niclas Fullkrug has had a tough start to life at West Ham since his £23m summer move
His slow start is just one of many concerns for downtrodden boss Julen Lopetegui
Fullkrug was in charge for Dortmund in the Champions League final against Real Madrid last season
‘I was aware of that, I communicated a lot with the coach, spoke a lot with Tim Steidten, who I know from my time at Bremen, and that’s why we came into such close contact with each other.
‘Of course we had completely different goals. Things were going very badly for me too, to put it bluntly.’
Fullkrug’s signing was greeted with much excitement in east London, with Hammers fans initially hoping the 31-year-old could replicate his prolific Bundesliga form in claret and blue.
But it has been anything but plain sailing for West Ham’s new frontman, who has seen his debut season consistently hampered by fitness issues.
He added: “I’ve been injured for three months and haven’t even reached my peak performance because I’ve only been training for a week and a half.
‘It seemed like I got back to a good level relatively quickly because I came in and scored the goal.
‘My Achilles tendon was inflamed and that was very annoying.
‘I’ve had something like this before, it lasted six weeks, now it’s taking a little longer and this phase is catastrophic.
“You just want to play and you feel like you’re close, but then another setback comes along.”