As reported by Il Tirreno, via Calciomercato, Fiorentina are looking to bring in Niclas Füllkrug on a bargain deal to replace Roberto Piccoli, who is on his way out of the Artemio Franchi.
The 33-year-old Germany international is coming off a massively disappointing half-season loan spell at Milan, where he managed just one goal in 20 Serie A appearances. That itself followed a thoroughly disappointing spell with West Ham, his current club, where he has managed just three goals in 29 appearances.
Füllkrug’s agency, ROOF, has been in contact with Venezia over a move, who are returning to the Serie A next season, with a stay in east London highly unlikely given the Hammers’ relegation to the EFL Championship.
La Viola are looking to hijack the deal, however, with Füllkrug available for as little as €3 million.
A deal worth making
It’s easy to look at Füllkrug’s stints at Milan and West Ham and declare that he is not worth taking a punt on, but reality is hardly ever that simple, and players at this level hardly ever totally ineffective.
Before arriving at West Ham, Füllkrug played a not-insignificant role in Borussia Dortmund’s charge to the Champions League final, having managed 25 goal contributions in 43 appearances across all competitions. He arrived at the Signal Iduna Park having scored the most goals in the Bundesliga the season before with Werder Bremen — a tally of 16 he shared with Christopher Nkunku, who incidentally was part of Milan’s squad alongside him.
Speaking of the Rossoneri, in the second of last season, their attack unit failed to deliver collectively, so Füllkrug is hardly to blame alone. And it’s not like West Ham haven’t boasted over the years notable strikers who have thrived everywhere but in east London.
At €3 million, Füllkrug is absolutely worth going for, especially since Fiorentina are looking to replace him with Piccoli, who is on his way out after a disappointing campaign.
Anshuman Joshi | GIFN