Niclas Füllkrug seems all set to join West Ham United from Borussia Dortmund within the next few days. West Ham have done some brilliant business already this summer with four top tier signings, but many more are on their way, Niclas Füllkrug included. A few days ago it was claimed that Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui was close to bringing the 31-year-old to the London Stadium, but personal terms and the structure of the fee are still yet to be agreed upon.
Then it was suggested that the Borussia Dortmund hitman was en route to London via a private jet yesterday, so the deal has certainly progressed quickly.
It has since been confirmed that the deal is done and it’s a matter of time before Füllkrug’s move to West Ham will officially be announced. He is scheduled to undergo the second part of his medical today (Fabrizio Romano).
Despite my initial scepticism on the Germany international joining us, I’m now fully on board with the idea. He’s a proven goalscorer at the very highest level after all, and his game seems to be tailor made for the Premier League.
Sure, he’s 31, and it’s a big shame that he’s not four or five years younger, but for the next two seasons, he should be able to do a very good job for us. Hopefully this one gets announced soon, but one German Hammer has noticed a very big problem indeed.
Eagle eyed German West Ham fan spots big Niclas Füllkrug error
With Füllkrug spearheading our attack next season, we should be a real handful for any team we come up against.
He was in fine form for Borussia Dortmund last summer, and racked up 15 goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions.
The German’s ability to hold up the ball is clearly what Lopetegui wants, and he will be able to bring all of our other talented attackers into the game.
So what’s the issue that has been spotted?
One German West Ham fan took to Twitter to air his concern:
sadly i can’t get behind this transfer. official west ham shop won’t let me add the ü to Füllkrug name. massive oversight there by the club. pic.twitter.com/wwpyWzhKqF
— 🇩🇪 GermanHammers ⚒ (@germanhammers) August 2, 2024
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The Ü is explained as such:
‘An Umlaut is a diacritic mark, or accent, which looks like two dots and goes above a vowel. This usually changes the pronunciation of the vowel or transforms it into another independent vowel’.
The word ‘umlaut’ actually means change of sound so it is key to how the striker’s name is pronounced.
West Ham have to find a way to change the system on the website so our contingent of German fans are able to purchase a shirt with the correct spelling of Niclas Füllkug on the back. And in fairness, I’m sure that’s exactly what they will do very soon indeed.
