West Ham United are searching the market for a new striker due to growing concerns over summer arrival Niclas Fullkrug’s fitness, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has revealed.
Since his £27m move from Borussia Dortmund in August, the 31-year-old has made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League and has been absent for several weeks after sustaining a calf injury while on international duty with Germany in September.
According to Crook, Fullkrug’s absence is now forcing West Ham back onto the striker market, with Panathinaikos ace Fotis Ioannidis among the potential targets.
The ‘complete’ Greek forward was on the Hammers’ shortlist in the summer, but has started the season slowly as well, scoring just once in his first 11 appearances in Athens.
Fullkrug last featured for Julen Lopetegui’s side against Manchester City back in August and has only played 63 minutes in the Premier League, missing West Ham’s past six matches across all competitions.
He was also not on the bench for West Ham’s 4-1 thrashing at Tottenham. Lopetegui, speaking ahead of the clash last week, revealed he was unsure of the striker’s return date.
The German international’s recent availability has reportedly raised question marks over technical director Tim Steidten’s decision to acquire the centre-forward during the summer transfer window, despite his concerning injury history.
The 31-year-old became known as a late bloomer in the Bundesliga in recent seasons, scoring 12 goals for Borussia Dortmund last term, as well as helping them reach the Champions League final, where he netted once against Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout stages.
Niclas Fullkrug Borussia Dortmund Stats (2023/24) Games 46 Goals 16 Assists 10 Minutes per goal 225 Minutes played 3,605
In Fullkrug’s absence, Michail Antonio has led the line up front, starting the last three Premier League matches.
However, Lopetegui reportedly does not view the Jamaican as a long-term solution to his forward line and is putting pressure on West Ham chiefs to spend again in January.
West Ham’s summer transfer business saw them end the window as the fifth biggest spenders in the Premier League, splashing out close to £130m on nine new arrivals.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 2 2 -10-24.
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