Is Niclas Fullkrug the man to break West Ham United’s striker curse? Graham Potter will be hoping his emphatic Everton winner in the Premier League Summer Series is a sign of things to come.
Chasing back to reclaim possession just before the halfway line, Niclas Fullkrug then picked up possession from Lucas Paqueta.
What came next was a goal of such quality and supreme self-confidence from a man who, on this evidence, could yet justify his £27 million price-tag.
Kyle Walker-Peters, making his West Ham United debut at right-back, said it best.
Fullkrug’s finish at Soldier Field was ‘ridiculous’, in the most positive sense. He may be a natural right-footer but, as first Paris Saint-Germain and now Everton have found out, give him time and space on his left at your peril.
Even before Fullkrug left Mark Travers helpless in the Everton goal, the watching Robbie Earle noticed a big difference in the 32-year-old targetman.
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesRobbie Earle highlights big Niclas Fullkrug change as West Ham United beat Everton
Earle, speaking from his position in the Sky Sports commentary gantry, kept a close eye on Fullkrug as Graham Potter put him through his paces in those pre-match training sessions.
The eye-catching intensity he demonstrated in practice, meanwhile, translated very effectively when he replaced the hard-working Callum Marshall at half-time in Chicago.
“[Fullkrug] looked leaner, sharper and focused in some of the drills they did,” says Earle, scorer of 45 Premier League goals for Wimbledon in the 1990s.
“This could be a big season for Fullkrug.”
Speaking to the club’s official website following that loss to Manchester United in New Jersey on Saturday, Fullkrug stated that he was in a ‘really good place’ again following an injury-hit 2024/25 campaign during which he was limited to just six league starts.
All that work appears to be paying off.
In addition to his brilliantly-taken goal, there were a few unexpected bursts of pace against Everton. It appears that Fullkrug, pigeonholed perhaps unfairly as something of a throwback number nine, is a lot more athletic than his image would suggest.
“[It’s difficult] when you pick up injuries and niggles, at a new club, in a new country,” adds Earle. “But he’s had the chance to get a holiday, get himself in shape.”
Fullkrug ‘positive’ as he singles out West Ham teammates for praise in Chicago
On a day when Callum Marshall, Freddie Potts and Luis Guilherme impressed – the fringe players making their mark on the summer tour – Fullkrug looked like a man champing at the bit and desperate to silence his critics once and for all.
Germany international Fullkrug is determined to stay at the London Stadium and justify the faith shown in him by the Hammers. This, albeit in a non-competitive setting, is a very strong start.
“I believe in energy. And if you use positive energy, the positive things will come to you as a group, as a player and as a human. That’s why I try to smile and I try to bring positive energy everywhere,” says Fullkrug, whose ‘positivity’ has radiated throughout the summer months.
“I don’t do it on purpose or something. It’s just because I believe when you use positive energy, you get positive energy back and then the positives will come to you.
“There’s a lot to be positive about at the moment, in my opinion, and hopefully we can take that into the next game. Today we were playing against a team known to defend very well, and we coped with it.
“There were good performances all over the pitch – Dinos [Mavropanos] did very well in my opinion, JC [Todibo], Max [Kilman], Nayef [Aguerd] – they tried to find new positions to play the ball in between the lines and it worked out very well.
“We’re all just looking forward to the rest of this trip now, trying to get another win and of course getting ready to be at our best for when the Premier League is back.”
Fullkrug is excited by El Hadji Malick Diouf’s arrival, too. While the £19 million summer signing struggled to provide high-quality deliveries during his 45 minute outing against Everton, a left-back cut from the same cloth as Aaron Cresswell could yet provide the ammunition his hulking teammate feasts upon.