Füllkrug upgrade: West Ham to be offered "sensational" CF in swap deal
da esoccer bet： West Ham United have the challenging task of hosting London rivals Chelsea in their second Premier League game of the season this evening.
da fezbet： Graham Potter will be hoping his team put in a far better showing than they did away to Sunderland last week, when it was they who looked like the recently promoted team.
There were disappointing performances across the entire pitch from the Hammers, and once again, try as he might, Niclas Füllkrug just couldn’t make an impact on the game and looked like he was simply out of his depth at this level.
Fortunately, the German might not have to lead the line for much longer, as West Ham have been linked with an international goalscorer who’d be a huge upgrade.
West Ham could sign Füllkrug upgrade
It hasn’t been the summer that fans would’ve been hoping for after the disappointment of last season.
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While West Ham have certainly made some wise additions to the team in the shape of players like El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mads Hermansen and Kyle Walker-Peters, the squad still feels short on quality.
Moreover, while he can be dangerous, Callum Wilson has a nightmarish injury record and scored a single goal last season.
However, the club may not need to rely on the Englishman to lead the line this season, nor Füllkrug, as it now looks like they may get their hands on the perfect upgrade.
At least that is according to a recent report from Italy, which has touted Artem Dovbyk for a move to the London Stadium.
The report has revealed that AS Roma are considering a swap deal with the Hammers that would see the Ukrainian international head to East London and Füllkrug go the other way, both on loan.
It could be an excellent way for the Hammers to bring in someone they’ve previously been interested in without paying a fee, and at the same time upgrade on the German international.
How Dovbyk compares to Füllkrug
So, when it comes to comparing two strikers, it makes sense to start with their output, as that is what they’ll ultimately be judged on.
Unsurprisingly, when doing so, it’s Dovbyk who comes out way ahead, as in 45 appearances last season, totalling 3195 minutes, he scored 17 goals and provided four assists.
That means the Ukrainian international maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.14 games, or every 152.14 minutes.
Füllkrug, on the other hand, scored just three goals and provided two assists in 20 appearances for the Hammers last season, totalling 877 minutes.
In other words, the German international maintained a less impressive average of a goal involvement every four games, or every 175.4 minutes.
The superiority of the Roma star is not just a one-off, either, as when we compare the underlying numbers for both strikers from the start of 23/24 to the end of 24/25, he once again comes out comfortably on top.
For example, the “sensational” goalscorer, as dubbed by former manager Michel Sanchez, does better in most relevant metrics, such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive carries, passing accuracy, shots and shots on target, successful take-ons and more, all per 90.
Dovbyk vs Füllkrug
Statistics per 90
Dovbyk
Füllkrug
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.66
0.51
Non-Penalty G+As
0.67
0.62
Progressive Carries
0.76
0.73
Progressive Passes
0.76
2.03
Progressive Passes Received
5.27
4.58
Shots
2.48
2.01
Shots on Target
1.10
0.88
Passing Accuracy
72.5%
66.9%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.96
2.43
Successful Take-Ons
0.43
0.17
Carries into the Penalty Area
0.54
0.37
Stats via FBref for the 23/24 – 24/25 League Seasons
These numbers help to paint a picture of a shot happy centre-forward who can be trusted to take part in a passing move, but also thrives with the ball at his feet and in situations where he needs to drive into dangerous areas.
Ultimately, it’s clear that Dovbyk would be a significant upgrade on Füllkrug, and therefore, West Ham should absolutely agree to this potential swap deal, and if things go well next season, think about making the loan permanent.
