Niclas Füllkrug became the latest David Sullivan striker signing to fail as he joined Italian giants AC Milan on a season-long loan with an option to buy in the summer of 2026.
If the option is triggered, the German will depart the East End of London with three league goals in 26 appearances in Claret and Blue.
Muddled Recruitment and the Duran Diversion
The signing of the 32-year-old is symptomatic of the recent muddled recruitment strategy that has plagued our natural progression as a club.
Tim Steidten, who was the main instigator behind the signing of his compatriot, doubled down on his belief that the arrival of Füllkrug was a good deal for the club and one that “he would definitely do again”.
Perhaps Steidten could explain quite why he was casting such flirtatious glances towards Jhon Duran all window before the arrival of the former Borussia Dortmund forward.
Indeed, Duran seemed to have a mutual attraction to the Hammers, doing the crossed Hammers on Instagram Live.
In the end, the Hammers went from being on the brink of an agreement with Aston Villa for a quick, powerful forward in Duran to pivoting to an ageing German striker known for his link-up play but hardly blessed with pace.
Muddled and confused recruitment, and a move that smacked of panic with the need for a new striker evident for all to see. Clearly, Füllkrug was the easier deal to complete for the master negotiator David Sullivan.
The Scouting Failure: A System That Negated the Skillset
Regular readers of Blowing Bubbles will know that I have been a supporter of Füllkrug and believed that, given the right system and support, the German international could’ve thrived at the club. However, that wasn’t the case.
Even the most basic scouting report showed that Füllkrug needed a second striker alongside him to utilise his skillset fully. During his successful stint in the Champions League with Dortmund, he had a strike partner, and his link-up play and ability to get on the end of crosses drew praise from pundits alike.
So naturally, the moment he joined the Hammers he was tossed up front on his own, tasked with creating something from nothing or chasing balls in behind – totally negating his obvious skillset.
He showed signs of promise early in his West Ham career and quickly became something of a fan favourite. So it is difficult to call him a total flop; I’d file him down as more of a Sam Baldock than a Mido on the West Ham flop scale.
Dissent in the Dressing Room and Pre-season Promise
Füllkrug earned praise from the fans for his explosive post-match interview following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Southampton at the London Stadium, as he questioned the mental strength of some of his fellow teammates.
Whilst it was what the fanbase was thinking, you have to imagine that it didn’t win him many friends in the changing room.
What was curious, though, was his demeanour around the camp. As stories began to break in the media that he was unsettled in London and wanted to return home to Germany, all of the videos and pictures coming out of the West Ham camp – particularly during the off-season – painted a different tale.
He was jovial, engaging, and somewhat the poster boy of the club during pre-season. He also seemed to show some form in games too, scoring on the US tour and thriving from the impressive balls being delivered by Malick Diouf.
Indeed, it prompted me to write a piece in the summer indicating that I thought he had turned a corner and could finally be a striking saviour.
The Potter Peripheral and the Nuno Pivot
Injuries, though, soon started to stack up, twinned with some baffling tactics from Graham Potter – a man who didn’t sign him and clearly didn’t rate him that highly – which meant he soon became a player on the periphery of the team.
Potter came and went and was replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo, Füllkrug’s third manager in two seasons. He was given new hope as the Portuguese took a look at the German international.
But injuries took their toll again, as it was once more proved that signing an ageing forward who hadn’t played outside of Germany was perhaps not the play when the club was trying to build on the Conference League win and progress as a club.
Nuno quickly identified that the club needed to change tack and become a pressing, aggressive side if they were to escape their current relegation predicament, and sent Füllkrug to Italy, putting him out of his east London misery.
Breaking the Curse: Looking for the Next Dean Ashton
The Hammers boss is attempting to break the striker curse with two strikers of his own in Pablo and Taty Castellanos, who are now, ironically, playing as a two – the system that could’ve been perfect for Fülle.
If West Ham do survive this season, Nuno’s striker punts will have paid dividends, but history dictates that perhaps West Ham United are just cursed on the striker-signing front, as the club is still looking for their Dean Ashton replacement after all these years.
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