West Ham is thinking about ending a player’s contract two years early because of money problems.
West Ham are thinking about ending a player’s contract two years early after being relegated to the Championship. The team dropped down after their 3-0 win over Leeds on Sunday. They needed Tottenham to lose to Everton to stay up, but Tottenham won 1-0, meaning West Ham will play in the second tier next season.
Now, the club faces a long road to get back to the Premier League, where they haven’t played for 14 years. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo might leave after talks with the club’s leaders. The team also needs to raise up to £180 million by selling players. Another big question is whether fans will keep coming to the London Stadium, which is important for matchday money.
Fans have been frustrated with the club’s transfer choices in recent years, as big money was spent on players who haven’t brought much success. The club is now moving quickly to cut a player whose performance seems to show why the team is struggling.
German striker Niclas Fullkrug joined West Ham for £27 million in summer 2024 and has scored just three goals. He played eight Premier League games without scoring before going on loan to AC Milan in January. At Milan, he scored once in 19 games and missed out on Germany’s World Cup squad last week.
Reports say West Ham might cancel Fullkrug’s contract or let him leave for a small fee, with two years left on his deal. It seems very unlikely he will stay in England, and he doesn’t have a release clause. There are links to his old club, Werder Bremen.
Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio says Serie A team Venezia is interested in him, but Fullkrug needs to sort things out with West Ham first.