Niclas Fullkrug sends West Ham exit message after speculation
Niclas Fullkrug has hit back at suggestions that he may leave West Ham this summer.
The German forward struggled to make the required impact for the Hammers after signing for Julen Lopetegui’s side last summer for a fee of £27million.
Graham Potter has been unable to get the best out of him, and the former Borussia Dortmund star made headlines for the wrong reasons when he launched a passionate rant against his teammates.
The 32-year-old featured just 18 times in the Premier League, notching three goals and two assists in an injury-hampered debut campaign in England.
Fullkrug not thinking of West Ham exit
The Irons are in the market for a new attacker and have been linked with Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden recently.
That could spell disaster for Fullkrug, who has been subject to interest from Turkey with the transfer window set to reopen in the coming days.
TV commentator Ian Darke exclusively told West Ham Zone that the Hammers may be “open to offers” for the German ace after his poor campaign.
However, the East London star, who is currently with the Germany squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League semi-final with Portugal (4 June), has dismissed the idea of leaving.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany (31 May), he said: “I’m completely relaxed about that
“So, I’m not thinking about anything at the moment. It’s taken me the last month to get back to that final fitness, that match fitness.
“I was able to start three games, which is good, but after the injury, it took me a few weeks to finally get back to match fitness, and now I feel good and am happy that I can attack again next season, obviously with a completely different foundation in the background.”
West Ham can use Fullkrug next season
The E20 outfit signed the forward after he starred in the Champions League, helping Dortmund to reach the final and notching 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
However, he has struggled to hit those heights in English football, with injuries constantly halting his progress.
David Sullivan and Potter should give him the chance to recover from his fitness woes and potentially thrive as he spearheads a new-look team next season, rather than allowing him to depart for a heavy loss.
However, he could be sacrificed with the Hammers reportedly having to sell to buy to afford moves for the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Whether he is given the chance remains to be seen, but it is pretty clear that Fullkrug wants to stay and fight to make more of an impact.