Dean Saunders makes £75m West Ham transfer claim as Fullkrug question raised
Dean Saunders has expressed concerns over the signing of Niclas Fullkrug at West Ham United.
Discussing the Irons’ situation with a fan live on air, the pundit said that the so-called strikers signed from other leagues are “liable” to flop on English spoil.
The former Aston Villa star, who named Jarrod Bowen as the Hammers’ “shining light”, insisted that it is impossible to sign a centre-forward that will guarantee 15 goals without spending £75 goals and posed a Fullkrug question to the fan on call.
“Jarrod Bowen is obviously a shining light for you, wherever you play him, he seems to have an effect”, Saunders said on talkSPORT (26 December, 7:27 am).
“He either makes goals or scores goals when he goes up there, and he runs in behind without asking him to.
“Unfortunately, [it is not possible] to buy a striker that’s going to guarantee you 15 goals without gambling £75million.
“Everything else is a gamble. You can try and get someone from the Spanish league or the Italian league, it’s a gamble.
“They are liable to turn up and not score any, but have you seen anything in Fullkrug that would make you think he could keep you in the top half of the table?”
Julen Lopetegui eyeing new striker at West Ham amid Niclas Fullkrug doubts
The East London outfit forked out £27m to sign Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund in the summer [BBC].
The decision to pay that much for a 31-year-old striker raised eyebrows at the London Stadium, with his fitness issues in the first half of the season making things worse.
Fullkrug is still finding his feet in England, but only has one goal to show for his seven appearances across all competitions.
With Michail Antonio sidelined for a long period of time after his unfortunate road traffic accident and Danny Ings out of favour, Julen Lopetegui is keen to sign a new striker in the January transfer window.
West Ham have been linked with several centre-forwards in recent weeks, including Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Mainz’s Jonathan Burkardt [TBR Football].
However, the David Sullivan-owned club must raise fund through player sales before making further additions after spending over £100m in the summer [Daily Mail].
In other West Ham news, here is a hidden Hammers gag you may have missed in Gavin and Stacey finale.
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