West Ham prepared to tear up contract to cut losses on unwanted star | Report

An ignominious end to that memorable transfer window of the summer of ‘2024 is in sight – at least for one of West Ham United’s more ill-judged signings of recent years.

Tim Steidten’s bodged attempt to bring in a Jhon Duran alternative looked questionable at the time, and will go down in the annals of West Ham history as one of their worst transfer mis-steps.

Niclas Fullkrug, already over the hill and exhausted after a full season and the 2024 Euros, landed at London Stadium and promptly went down injured with a calf injury that lasted months.

The rest is history, as they say, along with the £27 million transfer fee which West Ham paid Borussia Dortmund. And Fullkrug’s huge wages, believed to be £90k a week in the Premier League, yielded in total just three goals as first Lopetegui then Potter failed to coax a performance out of the German.

According to getfootballnewsgermany.com, West Ham are finally admitting defeat in a bid to put the Fullkrug saga behind them:

“..A return to Werder Bremen for Niclas Füllkrug is becoming increasingly realistic….West Ham United initially demanded a transfer fee for Füllkrug, but are now reportedly prepared to allow the Germany international to leave without a fee despite two years remaining on his contract. “

Which is an admission of just how bad the Steidten – brokered deal has been for West Ham, that they’re willing to see their multi million investment walk away without a fee. Or, in Fullkrug’s case, more likely limp away. Plus of course they’ll have to pay up the rest of his wages – even at Championship levels another four and a half million quid. Gulp.

With the club’s finances in an abject state, it seems it is as good a time as any to cut their losses on the player: You’d wonder if a similar decision will be forthcoming on that other denizen of the sick bay Maxi Cornet.