So much for the romantic notion of a seasoned German international rediscovering his mojo in Serie A. Niclas Fullkrug's six month stint at AC Milan ha...
So much for the romantic notion of a seasoned German international rediscovering his mojo in Serie A. Niclas Fullkrug's six month stint at AC Milan has been an unmitigated disaster, a tactical misfire that has left both player and club clutching at loose threads. Now, with his return to West Ham United all but confirmed, the rumour mill has already spun its next chapter: a potential switch to Fiorentina. For a striker who once bullied Premier League defences with his sheer physicality, this is a rather humbling fall from grace.Let's be blunt. Fullkrug never looked comfortable in Milan's system. The Rossoneri, for all their ambition, play a game that demands lightning quick transitional bursts and a striker comfortable dropping deep to link play before sprinting into channels. Fullkrug is not that player. He is a battering ram, a classic number nine who thrives on service into the box from wide areas. At West Ham, when he was fit and firing, he was a menace in that low block environment, a target man who could hold the ball up, absorb contact, and finish with his head or his left foot. Milan asked him to be something he is not, and the result was a few cameos and a whole lot of silence.Now, GoalZaza understands that Fiorentina are sniffing around. La Viola have a habit of rehabilitating discarded talents, haven't they But here's the rub: does Fullkrug fit their tactical picture Vincenzo Italiano's side press with a ferocious intensity, demanding their centre forward lead the charge. That is hard, unglamorous work. Fullkrug has the engine for it Possibly. But his lack of pace in a league that increasingly prizes agility over brute strength could be a problem. You have to wonder if this is just another square peg in a round hole or if Fiorentina see something we all missed.The emotional arc here is rather painful to watch. A player who fought through the lower leagues to become a Champions League striker now faces the prospect of being a bit part player in Florence. He deserves better. West Ham fans will remember the good moments, the crucial goals, the sheer bloody mindedness of the man. But football is a brutal business. One bad loan spell and you're back to square one. If Fiorentina can give him the supply line, the crosses, the cut backs, then maybe, just maybe, there is life in this old dog yet. But if they want him to run the channels all afternoon, it will end the same way Milan did. In tears.
