West Ham United pay Premier League premium for Niclas Fullkrug amid ‘overpaid’ verdict
Derek Rae believes West Ham overpaid to sign Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
The Hammers brought in the Germany international from the Bundesliga giants for £27.5million [Sky Sports] in a deal that was met by plenty of fanfare.
With that being said, ESPN commentator Rae thinks Dortmund will be happy with the financial aspect of the deal with the Irons, saying they received a “Premier League price” for the 31-year-old.
Speaking to HammersChat on 18 September, he said: “Yes they probably have overpaid. In Germany there is a price, then there is a Premier League price.
“At 31, Dortmund would have been happy with that fee, without a doubt. Also, Fullkrug did not feel appreciated there. Dortmund didn’t have the greatest season last season, so it was felt like the right move to allow Fullkrug to depart.”
West Ham Niclas Fullkrug verdict shared
The former Werder Bremen star has had a slow start to life in East London after an eagerly anticipated move in the summer window.
Julen Lopetegui has surprisingly opted to start with Michail Antonio up front rather than the German in the opening games of the campaign.
Fullkrug has only made four appearances in claret and blue and is yet to net his first goal for the club.
This season, even Danny Ings has managed to get on the scoresheet which is somewhat of a mark against the ex-Dortmund star.
In fairness, the 31-year-old is suffering from an injury problem at the moment so there is a reason why he didn’t feature for the Hammers in their 1-1 draw at Fulham last time out.
When he returns, he will be hoping to score and open his account as quickly as possible to prove the value that the Irons have invested.
It remains unclear whether or not Lopetegui overpaid but by the end of the season, supporters will have a better idea.
In other West Ham news, Tim Steidten set new signing a challenge before completing his London Stadium move.
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