West Ham’s modest revival under Nuno Espírito Santo — one defeat in their last six Premier League outings — has done little to mask the club’s deeper problems.
Sitting 18th, the Hammers remain in a relegation dogfight, with multiple players underperforming.
Summer signings like Mads Hermansen have flopped, while others such as Max Kilman and James Ward-Prowse have struggled to hit the heights expected.
Callum Wilson is showing glimpses of form, but the glaring issue has been up front: Niclas Füllkrug. The German striker, who scored just three goals in his first season at the London Stadium, has yet to find the net this term, and is set to leave in the coming weeks.
Now, a significant hurdle has emerged in his proposed January exit.
Fullkrug Must Take Pay Cut
According to sources close to the club, a move to the Bundesliga — with former Frankfurt director Pirmin Schwegler reportedly keen on bringing Füllkrug to VfL Wolfsburg — is complicated by two key issues.
Firstly, Schwegler’s appointment at Wolfsburg has yet to be formally finalised, meaning no transfer negotiations can officially proceed.
More importantly, Wolfsburg cannot meet Füllkrug’s substantial West Ham wages, which exceed £90,000 per week.
Any potential deal would require the striker to take a significant pay cut, or for West Ham to subsidise part of his salary. A senior club insider told Claret & Hugh that the German striker “would have to take a pay cut if he wants to leave.”
So far, no club has offered a deal that covers the full amount of Füllkrug’s salary, leaving his future in limbo.
While a loan move remains a possibility, it’s clear that financial considerations will be decisive in whether the striker finally exits the London Stadium this January.
For West Ham, the delay may be frustrating, but it also creates breathing room to explore alternative solutions to their long-standing goalscoring issues.
