According to a rumor this week, West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui may have to bid farewell to one of his team’s top earners during the January transfer window.
As 2025 draws near, Tim Steidten and company must make some important choices on a number of players, as several of them have contracts expiring next summer.
In addition to numerous players now on loan having uncertain futures, forward Danny Ings, defender Vladimir Coufal, forward Michail Antonio, left-back Aaron Cresswell, and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will all depart for nothing next summer.
It’s unclear if James Ward-Prowse, Maxwel Cornet, Nayef Aguerd, and Kurt Zouma will stay at the London Stadium for the long haul. They are currently on loan at Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Real Sociedad, and Al-Shabab, respectively.
Perhaps a permanent departure for the Moroccan is inevitable, as Aguerd recently thanked the east Londoners for approving his temporary contract at Sociedad. Aguerd is undoubtedly glad to have departed West Ham.
When Aguerd left West Ham, he said, “Thanks to the club (West Ham) for giving me the opportunity to leave.”
“Because I wanted to play in La Liga and try something different, and playing for a team like Real Madrid is ideal for that. My proficiency in Spanish stems from my desire to study the language since I was a young child in order to play in La Liga.
With a lackluster start to his Hammers career marred by an Achilles tendon injury, it is now thought that new signing Niclas Fullkrug may leave the team as West Ham looks to add a striker in January.
West Ham could now sell Niclas Fullkrug in January
According to a report from Kicker (via Sport Witness), Lopetegui’s team may decide to cut their losses on the £100,000-per-week forward already, while Fullkrug is presently in Germany for treatment of his injury.
Fullkrug is reportedly considering a “fresh start” outside of the Premier League, and it is thought that West Ham may try to trade him in January.
Despite Fullkrug’s quality when available, the £27 million spent to sign him from Borussia Dortmund would be viewed as a complete waste of time if reports of a possible winter sale, which is just over two months into his West Ham tenure, come to pass.
“Niclas Fullkrug is someone I like,” commentator Ally McCoist told TNT Sports.
There is nothing wrong with a traditional center forward who is capable of playing. Fullkrug has always amazed me when I’ve seen him. He can finish, has great touch, is aggressive, and has outstanding game awareness. He seems like a solid player to me.
