West Ham United have approached a club over signing their £12 million striker, who was interestingly offered to them during David Moyes’ time as manager.
West Ham in market for new striker amid Niclas Fullkrug uncertainty
Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui has been forced to cope without his summer signing since late August, after the 31-year-old picked up a nightmare achilles tendon injury on international duty with Germany.
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Lopetegui handed Fullkrug boost as West Ham insider shares fresh update
The German’s niggling achilles tendon injury has been a real talking point at West Ham this season.
Since Fullkrug was sidelined, West Ham have been getting £17,000 worth of compensation for each day he’s absent, with Lopetegui forced to rely on aging striker duo Michail Antonio and Danny Ings for the vast majority of this campaign so far.
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West Ham’s next five Premier League matches |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal (home) |
November 30 |
|
Leicester City (away) |
December 3 |
|
Wolves (home) |
December 9 |
|
Bournemouth (away) |
December 16 |
|
Brighton (home) |
December 21 |
There are reports that West Ham could cut their losses on Fullkrug in January, but a lot could depend on how the ex-Dortmund star performs upon returning, not to mention whether the east Londoners can find a good buyer for him.
“I hope he is in the last part of his recovery,” said Lopetegui on Fullkrug’s fitness, in his press conference on Thursday afternoon.
“Let’s see if he’ll be ready in the next two or three matches. I don’t know exactly but he feels better. Now he has to prove his fitness because he’s not easy being out for three months. We’re going to help him. I don’t want to give a timeframe, but he’s closer.”
After scoring 16 goals in all competitions last season, West Ham were hoping that Fullkrug would finally end their long wait for a prolific new option, but this hasn’t been the case so far.
There are even suggestions that West Ham could dip into the January market for a new striker, with the likes of Brighton’s Evan Ferguson linked this week as the Seagulls green-light a potential loan for the Irishman.
According to Football Transfers, Napoli forward Giovanni Simeone is a target for the Hammers this winter as well.
It is believed West Ham have made contact with Napoli over signing Simeone, who was interestingly offered to Moyes during the Scotsman’s time in charge.
The Times reported in 2022 that Simeone, who was at Cagliari back then, was floated towards the Irons. Club insider ExWHUemployee backed this report, further claiming that the Argentine was offered to West Ham “many times” previously as well.
He is clearly a player who West Ham know pretty well, but it is more unclear whether the “underrated” attacker is the answer to their goalscoring problems.
The 29-year-old’s best goalscoring season came during the 2021/2022 season, when he bagged 17 goals in 35 Serie A appearances for Hellas Verona, but he’s since found himself on the bench at Napoli and making the overwhelming majority of his appearances as a substitute.
He signed for the Italian league leaders for around £12 million from Verona, including the original loan fee, so it’s likely his transfer would be affordable at the very least.
