Niclas Fullkrug has spoken out again about West Ham in typically honest fashion but it could be for the last time.
Germans are renowned for being forthright with their views and Niclas Fullkrug has certainly lived up to that reputation at West Ham.
Few strikers would achieve burgeoning cult hero status at West Ham after making just 20 appearances – only eight of them starts – and scoring just three goals in their debut season.
Yet Fullkrug has managed exactly that.
Like so many of the club’s 56 forward signings in the last 15 years, Fullkrug has been hit by the West Ham striker curse.
Eyebrows were raised when Tim Steidten elected to sign the injury-prone, ageing Germany international instead of a young, pacy striker last summer.
Debut season to forget for Fullkrug at West Ham
The Hammers paid £26m for Fullkrug in a deal with Borussia Dortmund and, all too predictably, the soon-to-be 33-year-old spent two thirds of his debut season out injured.
With the man who brought him to the club gone, speculation has been rife over Fullkrug’s future since January.
Juventus and German clubs wanted Fullkrug in the winter.
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But another serious injury put an end to any prospect of that happening.
Since working his way back to fitness, Fullkrug has become better known for voicing his opinion than scoring goals.
Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
An angry outburst following a 1-1 draw at home with already relegated Southampton saw Fullkrug label West Ham ‘s—‘ and state half his teammates don’t listen to Graham Potter.
Potter’s reaction was to criticise the Germany star before benching him in the next game.
That’s despite fans hailing Fullkrug a hero for telling it like it is.
Supporters were not happy with the way the manager handled the situation.
West Ham fans have aimed chants at Potter about Fullkrug since, making it perfectly clear whose side they are on.
Brutally honest Fullkrug speaks out again about West Ham
Fullkrug has been on the bench ever since for West Ham.
And West Ham’s manager has been brutally honest in his assessment of the former Werder Bremen star’s future.
Potter says he sees Fullkrug as more of an impact sub at West Ham.
But earlier in the season Fullkrug said himself he didn’t join West Ham to sit on the bench.
After his recent angry outburst, Fullkrug doubled down by firing a warning to Potter that he and his West Ham teammates can’t hide from the truth.
Now brutally honest Fullkrug has spoken out again about West Ham and it could be the last time.
Taking to social media, the Hammers fan favourite has been refreshingly open and critical of himself and the team while also bemoaning his bad luck with injuries.
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Fullkrug hailed the ‘unwavering’ support of West Ham’s loyal fans and his message had an air of finality about it.
“Before the quick turnaround to the national team, I just wanted to leave a short message to all you Hammers fans,” Fullkrug said in a new Instagram post.
“The past season wasn’t easy – a lot of ups and downs, both for us as a team and for me personally, especially with my injuries.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to perform the way I had hoped.
“But even when things didn’t go our way, your support never wavered.
“Thank you for always standing behind us! Enjoy the offseason.”
Why Fullkrug may have spoken out on West Ham for the last time
This feels like it could be something of a final message before a goodbye this summer.
In an ideal world West Ham would be in Europe and Fullkrug could be rotated and rested appropriately with another top forward.
But the Hammers and Potter are not living in an ideal world right now.
West Ham must sell players in order to buy due to PSR. That means some difficult decisions may have to be taken.
Besides the obvious fact Potter has inherited Fullkrug, the manager has made it publicly clear he wants a younger, more dynamic profile of forward.
The Englishman has also stated on the record he sees Fullkrug as an impact sub.
Fullkrug is proving again that he will always speak his mind and his truth.
West Ham’s manager has already said he does not feel that is necessarily the right thing for the team.
So even if Fullkrug is up for sticking around next season, the choice may just be taken out of his hands.