“Should’ve never left” – Belief player was never a good idea for West Ham

In the January transfer window, SportmWitness actively covered Niclas Füllkrug’s loan move to AC Milan from West Ham.

This was seen as a welcome destination for the German, who struggled in London due to injuries. He still managed to join a club which was competing in the Champions League spots and needed a striker in January.

So far in Italy, Füllkrug has not quite managed to make a mark. He did score a winner against Lecce some weeks ago but hasn’t started since. He also missed a vital penalty against Pisa, attracting criticism from supporters.

The West Ham loanee’s future might now be uncertain again. While this has been covered by the Italian press, the same stance has emerged in Germany too.

West Ham future depends on AC Milan form

Abendzeitung journalist Patrick Strasser has now spoken to MilanNews about the 33-year-old, his initial switch to West Ham and the loan to Milan.

He told the outlet that the decision to join the Hammers was never the right one.

The German said, explaining a tactical reason: “I think he should never have left Dortmund, also because it wasn’t a good idea to go to West Ham and the Premier League, a league too fast for him. Also because he’s a classic old-school striker, a penalty area striker.” 

Strasser was also asked whether Milan will sign the player permanently or not.

He responded with a negative answer, saying: “I don’t think so. He has to score and prove he deserves a new contract.” 

Füllkrug’s future in his own hands

Clearly, the Germany international has work to do, but has everything in his own hands.

Milan’s option to buy him permanently stands at only €5m, which is a low amount. It also shows that there aren’t major expectations from him and he may only have to score five or six goals to convince the Rossoneri.

The problem lies on the fitness side. He has already injured his toe at Milan yet played through it. These factors can hold back a permanent deal and West Ham would then have an issue on their hands.

They spent over €20m to sign him in 2024 and would’ve wanted a better outcome from it.