Credit: Imago, Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Evan Lloyd

Sat 26 July 2025 8:10, UK

West Ham are expected to confirm the signing of Callum Wilson imminently.

The Hammers are understood to have agreed personal terms with Wilson, who left Newcastle United at the end of his contract in July.

Wilson’s potential arrival has faced criticism from the West Ham fanbase, with the 33-year-old struggling from several injury issues during his final years at St James’ Park.

But with the transfer looking set to go through, one attacker might need to make way, and Graham Potter faces a key decision.

Potter to axe Niclas Fullkrug for Wilson

There was plenty of excitement surrounding the signing of Niclas Fullkrug when he arrived from Borussia Dortmund last summer in a deal worth around £27million.

The big German had just scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists in all competitions for the Bundesliga giants, and had scored twice for Germany at the Euros.

But his troubles in the Premier League started almost instantly, when an injury picked up in West Ham’s third league match kept him out for over two months.

Fullkrug’s return saw him score two goals, but it would only take six league appearances before the striker would suffer another two-month-long injury.

Ultimately, the 32-year-old ended the season with just three goals in all competitions, with West Ham already eyeing possible replacements.

While Wilson cannot offer many counter-arguments on the injury front, the 33-year-old carries something Fullkrug doesn’t – a track record of consistent goal-scoring in the Premier League.

Just three years ago, in the 2022/23 season, Wilson scored 18 goals and provided five assists in just 31 Premier League appearances for Newcastle.

And the season after that, the Englishman notched another nine in just 985 minutes of action.

In fact, in Wilson’s ten Premier League seasons, the forward has scored five goals or more in nine of them, and has registered 10 or more direct goal contributions in six of them.

Wilson move is low-risk

Wilson’s injury issues are hard to argue against. The Englishman may well spend the majority of his West Ham career in the medical room, and it would be hard for anyone to be surprised.

But should he stay fit, the Hammers have signed a Premier League-quality striker with a genuine proven ability to score goals regularly.

And on what is reportedly a pay-when-you-play deal, Wilson’s signing represents a very low-risk, potentially high-reward deal for Potter.

Sign up for the West Ham Zone WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking West Ham United news sent straight to your phone.