West Ham United duo Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville both made their competitive debuts for the club on Saturday.
Niclas Fullkrug joined West Ham for around £22.5 million up front (£27 million including add-ons), and immediately insisted that he’s fitter and stronger than he’s ever been before, after moving to the London Stadium.
The German is an interesting signing for the Hammers, and Gary Neville admitted that he is ‘intrigued’ to see how he does.
Meanwhile, Crysencio Summerville joined West Ham from Leeds for a bargain £20 million fee earlier this summer.
The 22-year-old possesses electric pace, and should give us something inside the final third that we currently don’t possesses.
Julen Lopetegui has made really exciting moves in the summer transfer window, and the West Ham head coach now has to get the best out of all his new players, and the existing members of the squad of course.
However, a potential issue has come to light regarding Fullkrug and Summerville.
West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville problem
I expect Fullkrug to start next weekend for our clash with Crystal Palace.
That should make a big difference to his ability to find some rhythm in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Summerville should get more and more minutes with every week that passes, especially after his bright cameo appearance against Aston Villa.
However, a potentially big issue for both players has just come to light, after one high pundit spotted a problem.
Tony Cascarino wrote a column for The Times, and highlighted a big problem Fullkrug might face at West Ham.
He said, “Before the match I bumped into various former West Ham players including Martin Allen and John Moncur. Martin made the point that Julen Lopetegui has the pressure that comes with being backed with signings and that he does not have European demands this season.“
“It was immediately clear that Lopetegui would need to improve his side’s delivery and timing for Füllkrug,“ he continued, “who tried to find the space between defenders.“
“He is a traditional forward and should do well if he gets the right ammunition. Here it did not help him that Crysencio Summerville, who also came on for 17 minutes, took an extra touch before crossing and Mohammed Kudus, though hugely skilful, lost his influence when switched to the right wing.“
Cascarino continued, “Perhaps when Füllkrug is up to full speed, he would have shown the desire to push players out of the way and meet a cross from Summerville, which Danny Ings headed straight at Martínez. At 31, it is not straightforward for Füllkrug to move clubs and leagues. I was the same age when I moved from Chelsea to Marseille and needed to adjust to different styles and cultures. And as a forward or goalkeeper, you face the pressure from being immediately expected to score or make saves.” That, though, is something that Watkins has achieved in making a difference for Villa and England.”
Fullkrug and Summerville will be just fine
What makes me question Cascarino’s observation is the fact that Fullkrug isn’t just a striker who likes to get on the end of crosses.
He has admitted himself that he actually likes dropping deep into the number 10 position at times, so there are definitely more strings to his bow than just being a target man.
In addition to that, his comments on Summerville were incredibly harsh. I think the 22-year-old looked very promising when he entered the pitch after 73 minutes on Saturday, and he actually did whip in some nice crosses.
I have no doubts that the German and the Dutchman will form a strong partnership, and be huge hits at the London Stadium.
Tony Cascarino was a little bit over-critical of Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville as far as I’m concerned.
The more they become accustomed to each others’ playing styles, the better they will be at linking up with one another for West Ham.
