In 18 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, Fullkrug scored just 3 goals against Bournemouth, Manchester City and Leicester City. The soon-to-be 33-year-old German striker arrived from Borussia Dortmund in a £26M deal that left fans scratching their heads as he failed to impress in his debut season.
Now, despite rumours circulating around the striker’s future, Steidten has spoken to Sky Sports about how Fullkrug is preparing for the new campaign and admits he hopes he can lead the side that finished in the bottom half of the table last season.
“Niclas is fit. I messaged him a few days ago – physically, he is in top shape. I am certain that he will function one hundred percent in the Premier League.“
“In the end, we were at a fee of 22 million euros with Dortmund, and I would do the transfer again at any time. Dortmund said he had been too expensive – for me, he was still too cheap. Niclas was not only the type of player I was looking for on the pitch, but also someone who can lead the team off the pitch.”
Fullkrug arrived after notching 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions in the 2023/24 season with Dortmund. His poor performances for the side have led to reports suggesting that manager Graham Potter has set his sights on free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin who could rival him for his No.9 spot if he does not up his game in preseason which starts on the 27th of July against Manchester United.