By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
Niclas Füllkrug took a further £25,000-a-week wage reduction to join Werder Bremen, Claret & Hugh has been told.
The German striker, who signed from Borussia Dortmund two years ago for €27m, had made it clear he had no intention of playing for the Hammers again.
Just as well really, because there was no future for the injury-prone forward while Nuno Espírito Santo remained in charge of West Ham.
Therefore, a parting of the ways was the only reasonable outcome for both parties.
There was just one problem.
Nobody wanted him.
West Ham Couldn’t Get Their £5m
Speaking to one of our transfer sources, C&H were told:
“The sticking point was that West Ham were asking for five million pounds to sell Füllkrug, but nobody was going to pay that money, not in a million years.”
That left West Ham facing the unappealing prospect of paying part of Füllkrug’s salary while he played somewhere else.
However, Werder Bremen’s late intervention eventually provided a solution.
Our source continued:
“It was looking like West Ham would have to subsidise the player’s wages, but Werder Bremen coming in was very much last minute.
“In the end, nobody was really shifting. The Germans didn’t want to pay a transfer fee, and West Ham didn’t want to pay for Füllkrug to play for another club.
“In the end, he took a £25,000-a-week wage drop just to play football.”
Füllkrug Had Already Taken 50% Cut
C&H was then informed that the £25,000 reduction came after Füllkrug’s salary had already been cut by 50% as part of his relegation clause.
That perhaps demonstrates quite how keen the striker was to get back to Germany and start playing regularly again.
But don’t feel too sorry for him.
Despite effectively taking two wage reductions following West Ham’s relegation, Füllkrug is still picking up an eye-watering £40,000 per week in the Bundesliga.
For West Ham, the important thing is that an expensive player who wasn’t going to feature has finally been removed from the wage bill without the club having to subsidise him elsewhere.