Niclas Fullkrug hinted at rejecting West Ham United in the summer, as David Moyes wanted the striker before he signed for Borussia Dortmund.
Niclas Fullkrug epitomises what a ‘late bloomer’ means as the 30-year-old continued on his stellar journey in football. Despite his age, the striker has played in just over 130 Bundesliga games while playing half his career games in the second division.
The Bundesliga ace with 16 goals to his name for Werder Bremen last season finally got the bit of move he has been dreaming of all his life. When Borussia Dortmund came calling, the 30-year-old did not hesitate a bit and eagerly joined the German giants.
He has had a modest start to life at Dortmund, scoring twice and providing one assist in his seven games so far in the Bundesliga. He also made his Champions League debut with the club and has featured in both of their games so far, although they are yet to register a win in their group.
However, Fullkrug had no shortages of interest when he decided to leave Bremen in the summer after a successful season. His 16 goals kept them in the Bundesliga, and the club accepted a €13 million offer from Dortmund.
Now, Fullkrug via Sport Bild insisted he rejected an offer from England and could have easily joined one of the Premier League sides. That club very well is said to be West Ham United, with David Moyes reportedly keen on the striker during the window.
Fullkrug said, “I then thought about it during the transfer phase. Shortly afterwards it became clear to me: If I take a step, it has to be one that makes me feel a tingling sensation in my stomach. For example, I could have gone to England, to a club that plays internationally. But I didn’t feel that tingling sensation to leave Werder.”
West Ham were indeed interested in Fullkrug during the summer as they searched for a striker since the departure of Gianluca Scamacca. While Moyes did not sign one in that window, he surely came close to some top names.
For instance, current Lens striker Alye Wahi was a big target, while there were others on their shortlist, including Fullkrug. With the Bundesliga ace, Moyes may have wanted to bring in an experienced forward to take his team ahead, something that Scamacca lacked.
In the end, Fullkrug chose to stay in Germany and joined Dortmund. There are huge expectations from the striker to deliver the goods for his new club, and as things stand, a future move to the Premier League seems highly unlikely.
