Fullkrug explains where things went wrong at West Ham: ‘Wasn’t an easy place’

New Milan signing Niclas Fullkrug has opened up about his underwhelming spell in the Premier League with West Ham and has explained why ‘things didn’t work out for me in England’. 

Fullkrug became the first signing of the Serie A January transfer window when he joined Milan on loan with an option to buy from West Ham on the first day of the window. He had already been training with the Rossoneri for the week leading up to the official announcement, and has since featured in the last two rounds of Serie A fixtures. 

The German sat down for his introductory press conference in front of the media on Friday afternoon. 

Among the topics of discussion during Fullkrug’s first Milan press conference was his disappointing spell in the Premier League with West Ham prior to his San Siro move. 

He had joined the Hammers from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth around €30m following an impressive tournament leading the line for Germany at EURO 2024. 

Fullkrug has explained that the 2023-24 season, the one leading up to his West Ham move, was a major part of the reason why he was only able to come up with three goals in 26 Premier League outings across an 18-month spell.  

“With Werder and with BVB and the national team, things were going great for those three or four years. I was playing regularly, scoring and getting assists. That’s the level I want to get back to. I want to be available and contribute with goals and good performances,” Fullkrug told the press on Friday. 

“West Ham wasn’t an easy place,” he continued. I came in after a very long season, with 57 games. I couldn’t prepare well in pre-season because of the EUROs. I moved to West Ham without being able to prepare on a physical level. 

“Things didn’t work out for me in England, but I hope to turn the page. I feel fresh, fit. I’ve felt good over the last two games. The medical team in Milan have helped me, they’ve given me an excellent training program. 

“The feeling is good, I hope it continues like this because then I’ll be sure to score goals. How many, I don’t know. If the ball lands in the box, I will try to put it in the back of the net. We’ll see how many at the end of the season, but I hope to score some big goals.”