West Ham fans send a clear message to Tim Steidten after Niclas Fullkrug makes his first Premier League start vs Brighton
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West Ham United’s supporters have given their clear verdict on Niclas Fullkrug after the German international made his first Premier League start in their 1-1 draw with Brighton.
The Hammers are now three games unbeaten after holding Brighton to a draw at the London Stadium. Julen Lopetegui’s team are finally starting to move in the right direction although only a point means they remain in 14th.
The striker was handed his first start in the league by Lopetegui with the Spanish coach opting to switch up his forward options. Fullkrug has had a tough start to life in East London following his £27 million move from Borussia Dortmund and after the draw with the Seagulls, the club’s supporters sent a clear message to their sporting director, Tim Steidten.
Why West Ham fans were disappointed with Niclas Fullkrug vs Brighton
West Ham fans left the London Stadium feeling very underwhelmed by the performance of Niclas Fullkrug who once again struggled to make an impact. The 31-year-old was finally handed a Premier League start but he looked lethargic up top and was hauled off after 57 minutes.
A draw against Brighton was a decent result for the East London club, however, their football is quite dull to watch and whilst results are picking up, there are still question marks over the team’s style of play. Fullkrug certainly didn’t help that as he failed to act as the target man West Ham had been hoping they had signed.
The German international managed just one attempt at goal as he also failed to offer a threat in attack. Following the draw in the capital, West Ham supporters took to X to share their disappointment for the striker’s showing.
One supporter said: “Just let it sink in Tim bought in his mate Fullkrug when he could have bought in Duran. The man is fit for walking football!”
“Fullkrug was the most obvious flop ever. Dortmund were probably in disbelief when the offer came in,” claimed another.
Another West Ham fan couldn’t believe they signed Fullkrug over Jhon Duran: “West Ham really had Duran keen to sign for them on Instagram live but bought 31-year-old Fullkrug instead.”
“£27m for Fullkrug is the most incompetent thing I’ve ever seen a football club do,” said another, who was fuming at the price tag they spent on him.
Niclas Fullkrug completes just one pass vs Brighton
The stats really don’t make great reading for Fullkrug who managed to complete just one pass whilst also registering just a single attempt at goal. He also managed to lose possession on eight occasions.
| Stat | Total |
| Minutes played | 57 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Touches | 13 |
| Accurate passes | 1/8 (13%) |
| Ground duels (won) | 3 (0) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 7 (2) |
| Possession lost | 8 |
In his press conference, Lopetegui told the media: “He's not in his best way. But it's true that he needs minutes to achieve this level that we need. I think that when he's going to be better, he's going to last more. It's about the minutes, about the matches, the way to recover his best.”
