West Ham tipped to sign 'the next Giroud' after source's reveal - expert

West Ham could sign the "next Olivier Giroud" in Niclas Fullkrug as talks with Borussia Dortmund continue to make progress.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson explained that the striker's physical nature will help to bring the more creative players into the game and allow them to express themselves.

The likes of Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus could benefit from the striker's arrival to occupy defenders and give them space to operate.

This comes after Football Insider revealed on 2 August that the Hammers are closing in on a deal worth £13million to bring Fullkrug to the London Stadium.

The latest from well-placed sources today is that a deal is firmly on the cards.

Fullkrug scored 12 goals in 29 league games last time out, and helped the club to reach the Champions League final despite ultimately losing to Real Madrid.

West Ham tipped to sign 'the next Giroud' after source's reveal

Interest from West Ham has emerged off the back of his impressive performances at Euro 2024 where he became a key part of Germany's campaign.

The Hammers have been searching for a new striker since the departure of Gianluca Scamacca last summer, with Michail Antonio and Danny Ings left to lead the line last season.

Robinson has insisted he could be the ideal number nine at the London Stadium, with his goalscoring prowess and hold-up play the highlights of his game.

"They're looking for a number nine and they have been for a while," he told Football Insider.

"Michail Antonio has led the line for a while, but Fullkrug did it at Dortmund last year with 15 goals in 43 games in all competitions, 12 in 29 in the league.

"For Germany, he's scored 13 goals in 21 games, which is a really good record.

"He's an old-school number nine, a proper big striker, he'll be a danger from set-plays and he'll give West Ham the opportunity to play in a different way.

"I like him, he scores goals. He's 31 and very experienced at leading the line, West Ham are clearly looking for someone to do that and allow space for their creative players.

"It's similar to what Arsenal did with Giroud. Play him as a number nine to occupy the centre-backs while the damage is done by the players and the quality behind him.

"That's a clear profile of the strikers West Ham are looking at at the moment."

In other news, Crysencio Summerville had his West Ham medical yesterday.

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