WEST HAM DEALT FULLKRUG INJURY BLOW AS STRIKER PROBLEMS WORSEN
GERMANY BOSS JULIAN NAGELSMANN CONFIRMED THAT FULLKRUG HAS SUFFERED A THIGH INJURY WHEN ASKED WHY THE STRIKER WASN’T CALLED UP TO FACE LUXEMBOURG AND WALES.
KICKER HAVE SINCE REPORTED THAT THE 32-YEAR-OLD FACES “SEVERAL WEEKS” ON THE SIDELINES AS A RESULT, DEALING A MAJOR BLOW TO NUNO, WHO NOW HAS JUST CALLUM WILSON AND YOUNGSTER CALLUM MARSHALL TO CALL UPON OVER THE NEXT FEW GAMES. WEST HAM WILL NOW HAVE TO RELY ON THE INEXPERIENCE OF MARSHALL OR PRAY THAT WILSON MAINTAINS HIS OWN FITNESS, WITH THE LATTER ALSO VERY PRONE TO INJURY HIMSELF.
FULLKRUG’S LATEST INJURY HEAPS PRESSURE ON WEST HAM’S CREATIVE PLAYERS, LIKE LUCAS PAQUETA, CRYSENCIO SUMMERVILLE AND JARROD BOWEN, TO COMPENSATE FOR THE ABSENCE OF A FOCAL POINT UP FRONT. THE EX-BORUSSIA DORTMUND MAN WAS FORCED TO SIT OUT 28 GAMES FOR WEST HAM AND GERMANY COMBINED LAST SEASON AS A RESULT OF ACHILLES TENDON PROBLEMS AND A HAMSTRING INJURY.
QUESTIONS HAVE UNDERSTANDABLY BEEN ASKED ABOUT THE CLUB’S DECISION TO FORK OUT £27 MILLION FOR AN INJURY-PRONE STRIKER PAST HIS PRIME, WITH NUNO AND WEST HAM’S RECRUITMENT TEAM NOW TASKED TO PICK UP THE PIECES. WEST HAM’S MAIN OBJECTIVE FOR THE WINTER WINDOW IS TO SIGN A STRIKER, ACCORDING TO REPORTS, AND THIS WILL COME AS MUSIC TO THE EARS OF HAMMERS SUPPORTERS AS THEIR SIDE ARE TIPPED TO BATTLE AGAINST RELEGATION.
JANUARY COULD BE VITAL WHEN IT COMES TO RESCUING NUNO FROM HIS CENTRE-FORWARD CONUNDRUM. MAN UNITED STRIKER JOSH ZIRKZEE IS ALREADY BEING LINKED WITH A MOVE TO WEST HAM, AS THE EAST LONDONERS SCRAMBLE TO ASSESS REALISTIC MOVES FOR AVAILABLE NUMBER NINES MID-SEASON. THERE IS ALSO THE FREE AGENT MARKET TO CONSIDER AS AN EMERGENCY SOLUTION, WITH EX-WATFORD AND NOTTINGHAM FOREST STRIKER EMMANUEL DENNIS APPARENTLY EMERGING AS AN OPTION.
AGENT PUSHING EMMANUEL DENNIS TOWARDS WEST HAM
THE 27-YEAR-OLD TERMINATED HIS FOREST DEAL BY MUTUAL CONSENT IN AUGUST AND HAS BEEN READILY AVAILABLE FOR HIRE EVER SINCE, WITH THE ATHLETIC REPORTING ALL THE WAY BACK IN 2022 THAT WEST HAM HELD TALKS OVER SIGNING DENNIS FOR EX-BOSS DAVID MOYES.
NOW, AS PER HAMMERS NEWS, THE NIGERIAN IS BEING OFFERED OUT TO WEST HAM AGAIN. IT IS BELIEVED THAT AN AGENT IS ACTIVELY PUSHING DENNIS TOWARDS WEST HAM, BUT AS THINGS STAND, THE CLUB AREN’T REALLY BITING.
DESPITE A STELLAR 21/22 AT WATFORD, WHERE HE BAGGED 10 GOALS AND SIX ASSISTS IN 33 PREMIER LEAGUE APPEARANCES, THE NIGERIAN REALLY HASN’T DONE MUCH SINCE THEN.
HE ACTUALLY PLIED HIS TRADE AT FOREST AND DURING NUNO’S TENURE, BUT SCORED JUST TWO LEAGUE GOALS IN HIS DEBUT SEASON BEFORE BEING SHIPPED OUT ON LOAN TO ISTANBUL BASAKSEHIR, WATFORD AND BLACKBURN ROVERS UNTIL HE WAS RELEASED. ONCE CALLED A “BEAST” BY MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA, DENNIS HASN’T MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND SIGNING THE ATTACKER HARDLY SEEMS LIKE AN ADEPT SOLUTION TO WEST HAM’S STRIKER CRISIS, EVEN IF IT WOULD BE AT ZERO COST.
HE DID ENJOY A BRIEF PURPLE PATCH DURING HIS SECOND SPELL AT WATFORD, WITH FORMER INTERIM BOSS TOM CLEVERLEY HAILING DENNIS’ “EXPLOSIVE” STYLE AFTER HE SCORED THREE TIMES IN FIVE STARTS BACK AT VICARAGE ROAD IN 2024, BUT HE MANAGED JUST ONE GOAL THEREAFTER.
