But after a miserable two years in which he scored a combined four goals at West Ham United and AC Milan, though, the veteran striker was very much in a ‘money isn’t everything’ sort of mindset.

West Ham United loanee Niclas Fullkrug is a man reborn at Werder Bremen

“Well, I’m not basically giving anything up. I’m just paid in a different currency, which is emotion and passion,” Fullkrug said following his heartfelt return to Werder Bremen.

“I believe that’s expressed correctly, because what I ultimately receive here – the love and appreciation shown to me regardless of my performance – is something no other club could have offered me in that currency.

“I think the overall combination of the environment, the team and the energy is just right, and you get rewarded when you choose the right path. I followed my heart in coming back to Werder… It has already paid off.”

It certainly has, both for him and his club. Fullkrug simply cannot scoring right now. A brace during Werder Bremen’s 2-2 draw with Paderborn last weekend took him to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts. He’s found the net in five successive matches, and six in six overall.

While Taty Castellanos is stuck on one Championship goal back at West Ham, while Joel Piroe struggles to find his old Golden Boot-winning form, talk of a January re-call has inevitably begun to swirl around in the autumnal East London air.

If West Ham’s centre-forwards aren’t doing the business, why not look to bring back a man who is averaging a goal a game in one of Europe’s major leagues? Well, there are a few good reasons why.

While one source told Hammers News that Fullkrug’s exit is viewed as a missed opportunity in some quarters, Nuno would not welcome the Germany international back at the London Stadium even if West Ham did possess a termination clause.

“The manager made it clear to the board and Nils Koppen he did not want to have him under ANY circumstances,” the aforementioned source said last week, days after Fullkrug nodded in a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser at another of his old employers, Borussia Dortmund.

Fullkrug would never have turned things around at the Hammers

Sometimes, certain footballers thrive in certain environments. And fail in others. Fullkrug publicly criticised his teammates during Graham Potter’s spell and clearly didn’t see eye-to-eye with Nuno. His relationship with the fans was never particularly strong either, a sceptical supporter base feeling that the 33-year-old often left plenty out on the pitch.

Fullkrug, on paper, would coast to 20 Championship goals. In reality, though, this is a classic case of a centre-forward reborn at a club willing to bend to his whims and show him the affection he so desired. A happy Fullkrug is a prolific Fullkrug. And a happy Fullkrug was never going to emerge at West Ham.

“I’m older. I’m more settled,” he said after that Paderborn fightback, two goals in seven second-half minutes securing a valuable point for his side. “I’m not doing this to feel like I absolutely have to end up somewhere else afterward.

“[When you are younger] you might think if you have a good season, you can achieve something afterward [in terms of a big transfer]. It is simply different now. That’s why I’m so relaxed.”

A happy, prolific, relaxed Niclas Fullkrug. A far cry from the injury-hit, frustrated, labouring version West Ham watched trudge around the pitch for 18 miserable months.