What can Germany coach Jürgen Klopp expect from recalled Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug?
Coach Jürgen Klopp has recalled Bundesliga leading scorer Niklas Füllkrug to the Germany squad for the first time since September 2025 – we take a look at what Werder Bremen’s in-form forward will bring to the national team.
“Good form and scoring goals are never a bad thing,” said Klopp when asked why he had brought Füllkrug back. “Fülle has been performing and scoring all kinds of goals, almost all of them spectacular.”
Strikers are, of course, judged on how often they find the net and Füllkrug’s league-leading nine from eight Bundesliga matches to set the early pace atop the German top-flight’s scoring chart made the 33 year old an easy choice for the former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz boss.
But when you break down his stats - as surely Klopp and his analysis team have done - they become more impressive still.
Watch: Niclas Füllkrug - an analysis
Of Bundesliga players with at least 20 shots this season, only fellow November squad member Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt has a higher xG per shot (0.26 to 0.21). None of that group has a higher conversion rate with Füllkrug’s at a jaw-dropping 32.14 per cent.
By way of comparison, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is at 10.81 per cent. The Ballon d’Or winner has a 6.17 xG but only 4 goals; Füllkrug’s xG is 5.85 with 9.
“Fülle told me this morning before the announcement was made official,” said Bremen coach Daniel Thioune, who has seen his frontline striker thrive since returning to the club on loan from West Ham United.
“I was delighted because he thoroughly deserves it. If you look at his individual performances, he’s been one of the standout attacking players. He’s earned this call-up through his own hard work. I’m proud to have a Germany international in our squad. I’ll be delighted for him when he pulls on the Germany shirt and sings the national anthem.”
His current form is such that he is well on course for his best top-flight season since he registered 16 goals in 28 games for Bremen following their return to the Bundesliga in 2022/23, earning himself the Torjägerkanone in the process.
That feat was the prelude to a move to Dortmund – where he struck a more than respectable 12 times in 29 appearances in the Bundesliga 2023/24 season – followed by the switch to England and West Ham. That move – and a subsequent loan to AC Milan – did not help Füllkrug’s reputation as he added just four league goals over the last two seasons. But he clearly comes alive in Bremen.
"He has an incredible influence on the game. Not just through his goals, but also the way he carries himself,” said Klopp of Füllkrug, who has 37 strikes in just 88 Bundesliga appearances for Werder, an average of almost a goal every other game.
“I don't think he was able to have that influence on a team at every stage of his career: at Bremen, he can. When you feel at home, you can see what happens. That's generally the feeling we want to give the players, even if we don't have them together very often.”
Curiously, given his absence from the national team squad of more than a year, Füllkrug clearly already felt comfortable in a Germany shirt. In 24 caps he has already scored 14 times – 0.58 goals per game on average, or better than the elite benchmark of one in every two senior international appearances.
Of the current crop of Germany forwards with more than 10 caps – namely Nick Woltemade, Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav – only the latter has a better goals per game ratio for their country. Given the Stuttgart forward has just two competitive goals to his name this term, form means he did not make the 24-man squad this time round.
Füllkrug could share his experience of being out in the cold. In fact, Klopp judged him surplus to requirements when the former Liverpool and Dortmund boss named a 44-man squad for his first matches in charge in September. And so we get to the elephant in the room.
"I believe that Jürgen Klopp has taken a completely different path right now, nominating completely different boys, and that it's somehow about the future for him,” said Füllkrug after being left out despite a blistering start to the league season with Bremen as Nick Woltemade and Frankfurt’s Jonathan Burkardt were preferred instead.
"Niclas Füllkrug is 33, that's not my fault,” was how Klopp explained the Bremen man’s absence during a half-time TV interview.
"I'm not entirely happy with everything I've said in half-time interviews," Klopp replied when asked now to explain his decision to recall Füllkrug. The pair cleared the air before the November squad announcement, even if Klopp is making no promises. "If the European Championship were tomorrow, which it isn't, we would of course take him," Klopp said. "From that perspective, the decision to select him was relatively easy."
A latecomer to the very highest level, age has been a stick with which Füllkrug has been regularly beaten. When he made his senior Germany debut – and scored – in a friendly against Oman in November 2022 ahead that year’s FIFA World Cup, he became the oldest outfield player to make his debut for Germany in two decades at 29 years, 280 days. He only made his 100th top-flight appearance in the same season he turned 30.
But as Kane, who is only five months younger than Füllkrug, has shown: if you’re good enough, age is just for your passport. So Füllkrug’s current form has won the day, particularly given Klopp’s need for goals and wins after he began his tenure with just one victory and three goals in four outings. And the Germany coach can expect so much more from his rejuvenated forward.
"Now I can understand why he was in the Champions League final,” said Bremen goalkeeper Karl Hein referring to Füllkrug’s appearance in Dortmund’s defeat to Real Madrid in the finale to the 2023/24 season. “What he does for us on and off the pitch is enormous. This guy is a monster."
Füllkrüg’s contribution beyond finding the back of the net is certainly eye-opening. Compare him to Kane, the Bundesliga benchmark for forwards, in eight league appearances this season: Füllkrug has made 426 intensive runs compared to Kane’s 266 with 91 sprints to 25; the Bremen man has covered 49.7 miles to the Bayern star’s 48.
Like Kane, Füllkrug puts in a defensive shift too. His imposing 6’2” frame has helped him win 34 aerial duels so far, a number of them in his own penalty area, where he has racked up 1.25 clearances per game – significantly more than his peers – while many of his sprints have been to press opposing players on the ball. It means Klopp is getting a goalscorer and an all-round team player who - as the Germany coach suggested - has an impact in the dressing room too.
“I’m delighted about the nomination,” said Füllkrug before displaying his trademark humility and unfailing collective outlook. “I’ve benefited from the good performances of our team, and I see it as wonderful recognition for the entire squad.”
