Niclas Füllkrug returns to Werder Bremen on loan from West Ham United
Werder Bremen have confirmed the signing of striker Niclas Füllkrug from West Ham United on a one-year loan deal.
Füllkrug, 33, returns to Bremen for a third stint, having plundered 49 goals in 124 competitive appearances across his first two spells, helping Die Grünweißen achieve promotion back to the Bundesliga in 2022.
“I’ve never made a secret of the fact that Werder is a very special club for me,” Füllkrug, who made his Bremen debut as an 18-year-old in January 2012, said. “It was important to me to play for Werder again. The talks with the club officials were good. I’m really looking forward to playing for Bremen in the Bundesliga.”
Peter Niemeyer, Werder’s head of professional football, added: “We’re very happy that we were able to complete Niclas’ transfer. He has shown a clear commitment to Werder. He knows the Bundesliga and will be an immediate boost for us.”
Head coach Daniel Thioune was just as pleased about the new arrival, explaining: “Niclas is a classic striker - physically strong, excellent in the air, technically sound, and able to hold up the ball. He will definitely enrich our game.
"On top of that, he’s a real leader, someone who sets the tone both on and off the pitch. He still knows plenty of players from his previous time at Werder, and the same goes for the staff, so he won’t need much time to settle in.”
Füllkrug’s 16 goals and five assists in 28 Bundesliga games in 2023/24 secured a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he struck 12 times in Germany’s top flight, plus a further three times in the UEFA Champions League as BVB succumbed to a 2-0 final defeat against Spanish side Real Madrid.
After joining the Hammers in August 2024, Füllkrug spent the second half of the 2025/26 season on loan at Italian Serie A outfit AC Milan, scoring one goal.
On the international stage, though, Füllkrug showcased his poacher-like instinct on multiple occasions. He has found the net 14 times in 24 appearances for the German national team, representing his country at the FIFA World Cup 2022 and the European Championship two years later.
A Bundesliga veteran, he returns to his homeland having plundered 103 goals in 292 appearances across Germany’s top two divisions, during time spent at Nuremberg and Hannover, in addition to the aforementioned clubs.
Thioune’s Bremen begin their new season away to LSK Hansa in the first round of the DFB Cup on 22 August, before travelling to Freiburg for their opening Bundesliga fixture a week later.
