Ex-West Ham striker Teddy Sheringham believes his former club have made a shrewd decision by recruiting Niclas Fullkrug.

The Hammers paid £27m to bring in the German international from Borussia Dortmund and, while some have questioned the amount of money they have paid for a 31-year-old, Sheringham told onlinepoker.ltd it is a purchase that demonstrates the club’s ambition:

“The signing of Nico Fullkrug tells me that West Ham mean business. It tells me the club want to start scoring goals from day one. He’s an experienced forward who has done well over the last few years playing in Germany. He always looked like a handful when he played against top, top opposition for Dortmund in the Champions League and I was impressed with his cameo performances for Germany at the European Championships.

“I hope that he can hit the ground running from day one. He’ll need some help from his teammates, and he’ll need all of Lopetegui’s new signings to bed in to help create the chances for him. You don’t see club’s bring in a player at his age that much these days. I like the signing. He is in his prime and I hope he does well.”

There are parallels between Sheringham and Fullkrug

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Sheringham made his move to West Ham at an even later stage in his career than Fullkrug. He was actually 38 when he first arrived at Upton Park.

After spells with Tottenham, Manchester United and Portsmouth, the striker dropped down to the Championship to play for the Irons, and it proved to be an inspired purchase as he scored 20 league goals in his first season. Fans will be hoping for a similar impact from Fullkrug.

West Ham have big expectations heading into the new season

The signing of Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others have raised hopes that the Hammers will be competing in the top half of the table this campaign.

Of course, with so many new players in the squad, it can be difficult to gel together quickly, so the onus will be on manager Julen Lopetegui to make sure they are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here