Whether Niclas Fullkrug wants to be ‘the main man’ at West Ham or not is largely irrelevant. At 32 the German isn’t fit enough for 90 + minutes week in, week out next season. The Hammers need new options in the goal scoring department – assuming of course Graham Potter actually selects a striker next season.
No Danny Ings, no Michail Antonio – and Jarrod Bowen’s goalscoring talent from his favoured right hand side – as brilliantly exhibited yesterday – must never be squandered again by being deployed as a makeshift centre-forward.
Rumours persist of new strikers- from the perennial Yuri Alberto to the new man of the moment Valentin Castellanos from Lazio: Like most West Ham fans, we’ll believe it when we see it.
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Talking of ‘seeing it’ however, Hammers fans would have taken heart at the sight of teen prodigy Daniel Cummings widely reported and photographed at the London Stadium yesterday. It had all gone very quiet on that front so this is unlikely to have been purely a social call by the Celtic youngster. Rumoured to have signed a pre-agreement in January – but never confirmed – Cummings as an up and coming terrier is a massive addition.
Heading south this summer? Daniel Cummings was at the game yesterday
Of course West Ham have their own young terrier – excuse the pun – returning from his hugely successful loan at Huddersfield Town where he won the player of the season award: Callum Marshall at twenty is another bursting to make it into the seniors after his nine goals and three assists this season.
Whether or not both Cummings and Marshall make it through Potter’s pre-season into the squad for August, it is clear that the young guns are in the ascendency and will give Potter options next season: One frontline striker signing to compete with Fullkrug could give the Hammers FOUR front line options. Heady stuff indeed.
Finally.