Transfer news: Who is West Ham target Niclas Füllkrug?

​

In talks 

Could Niclas Füllkrug leave Borussia Dortmund after just one season? Signed for €17 million last summer from Werder Bremen, Füllkrug has been heavily linked with a move away from Dortmund. The rumors effectively started after the Black and Yellows added Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy in a deal worth €18m earlier this month. Stuttgart, AC Milan, and Atlético Madrid were potential destinations. But the club the most interested are West Ham United.

First reported by Sky Germany reporter Patrick Berger, West Ham have a concrete interest in signing the 31-year-old German national team player. West Ham see Füllkrug as a potential alternative to Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán. The Hammers have been in negotiations with Villa to sign the Colombian forward, but talks have been difficult. With that in mind, West Ham have now switched focus to Füllkrug. Indeed, West Ham’s German technical director, Tim Steidten, knows the player well and tried to sign Füllkrug while he was still with Werder. 

Whether Füllkrug will join West Ham remains to be seen. Füllkrug returned from his post-Euro 2024 break this week and is yet to decide about his future. Publicly, Dortmund have shown some reluctance to allow Füllkrug to leave and, through the press, have communicated that the forward remains an essential part of the squad. There might be some truth in that, as Guirassy will be out for six weeks with an injury. But for the right offer understood to be in the region of €30m, Dortmund would be happy to let Füllkrug leave as it would create the freedom to restructure the squad further. 

Although Füllkrug isn’t the most technically gifted striker, there is no doubt he can be deadly efficient. That fact is best underlined by Füllkrug’s record with the German national team. A glimpse in the Transfermarkt database reveals that the physical forward has scored a goal for Germany every 64 minutes. Indeed, one of the big arguments at the European Championships was whether Füllkrug should start for his country or is best suited as a super-joker who can turn things around from the bench in must-win games. 

“Füllkrug delivers arguments to play from the start but also to keep coming off the bench,” German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann said at the Euros after Germany’s 1-1 draw against Switzerland in which Füllkrug scored with a beautiful header. That goal perhaps best describes Füllkrug’s best attributes. A big and physical forward, Füllkrug can wrestle his way into small spaces and be deadly both in the air and on the ground. “I don’t know what the secret is,” Füllkrug said when asked about his ability to score from the bench. “Because I am not used to coming off the bench when I play for my club.” 

That’s true. Füllkrug regularly started for Dortmund last season, including in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. But as a starter, he hasn’t been quite that effective as Füllkrug scored 12 goals and eight assists in 29 Bundesliga games for Dortmund last season. Also, while Füllkrug scored a clutch goal against PSG in the Champions League semifinal first leg, he did miss several chances in a strong first half against Real Madrid. Having said all that, Füllkrug has the perfect profile to succeed in the Premier League, especially when surrounded with the right pieces to feed him the ball in the penalty box.