Niclas Füllkrug joins Werder Bremen on loan from West Ham United

Niclas Füllkrug is heading home. The German international striker has reached a full agreement to rejoin SV Werder Bremen on loan from West Ham United, completing a transfer that feels less like a business transaction and more like a homecoming parade waiting to happen.

The deal brings Füllkrug back to the club where he spent four productive years between 2019 and 2023, and where he first came through the youth academy before debuting as a senior player back in 2012. The loan carries no transfer fee.

A £27 million bet that never paid off

West Ham signed Füllkrug from Borussia Dortmund on August 5, 2024, for a reported £27M. At the time, it looked like a shrewd acquisition: a battle-tested striker with international pedigree who had just helped Dortmund reach the Champions League final.

Injuries plagued his time in east London, and consistent match fitness proved elusive. By January 2026, West Ham had seen enough to sanction a loan move to AC Milan, where Füllkrug spent the second half of the 2025-26 season. His time in Serie A produced just a single goal in limited appearances.

West Ham finished 18th in the Premier League, with relegation confirmed on May 24, 2026.

Why Bremen makes sense

Born in Hanover on February 9, 1993, he joined Bremen’s youth system and worked his way through the ranks before eventually leaving and returning in 2019. During the 2022-23 season he was joint-top scorer in the Bundesliga, netting 16 goals. He scored prolifically, earned his first senior Germany caps, and built the reputation that prompted Dortmund to come calling.

Füllkrug will be 33 when the loan begins in mid-August 2026.

West Ham’s roster rebuild

From West Ham’s perspective, the fee-free loan is damage control. The £27M they paid Dortmund two years ago is effectively a sunk cost at this point. Getting Füllkrug’s wages off the books, even temporarily, helps a club that now faces the financial realities of Championship football.

The loan is set to begin in mid-August 2026.

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