Niclas Füllkrug is back where his career began. The 33-year-old returned to Werder Bremen on loan from West Ham United for the 2026/27 season, bringing an experienced striker back to the Weserstadion at a time when Daniel Thioune’s squad needs both goals and leadership.
For Füllkrug, Bremen has always represented more than another stop in his career. He joined Werder’s academy as a teenager and eventually established himself in the first team before returning to the club in 2019. His second spell produced some of the defining moments of his career, including helping Bremen return to the Bundesliga and finishing as the league’s joint-top scorer – alongside RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku – with 16 goals in 2022/23.
From Bremen to a Champions League final
Leaving Werder for Borussia Dortmund in 2023 was ultimately the correct decision.
Füllkrug had earned the opportunity to test himself at a higher level, and his single season in Dortmund demonstrated that his late rise was no accident. He scored 12 Bundesliga goals and added three goals during Dortmund’s run to the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley.
At Dortmund, Füllkrug had a clearly defined role. His physicality, ability to play with his back to goal and presence inside the penalty area complemented the attacking players around him. The move allowed him to compete for major trophies while remaining an important member of the Germany national team.
The next decision was far less successful.
Why leaving Germany proved costly
Füllkrug joined West Ham United in the summer of 2024, but his move to the Premier League never developed as intended. Injuries disrupted his rhythm and prevented him from establishing the consistency that had made him so effective at Bremen and Dortmund.
His subsequent spell away from England also failed to restore the momentum he had previously built in the Bundesliga. In hindsight, leaving Dortmund looks like the wrong career decision. He had Champions League football, an important role and a tactical environment suited to his strengths.
Instead, two difficult years abroad interrupted what had been an extraordinary late-career rise.
A hero returns home
That makes his return to Bremen particularly significant.
Thioune is not simply adding another centre-forward. Füllkrug understands the club, the supporters and the expectations surrounding Werder. His hold-up play can provide Bremen with a focal point in attack, while his experience should also benefit a squad attempting to move beyond the relegation battles that have characterised recent seasons.
There is also something fitting about the timing. Füllkrug left Bremen when both player and club understood that he deserved the opportunity to compete at a higher level. He returns having played in a Champions League final, represented Germany at major tournaments and experienced football outside the Bundesliga.
Not every decision along the way worked. Dortmund represented the right step forward, while leaving Germany ultimately proved far less rewarding.
Now Füllkrug – who has already opened his account for the season having scored in Bremen’s DFB Pokal victory over Lüneburger SK Hansa – has another opportunity at the club where his story started. For the Green-Whites, this is more than the return of an experienced striker. One of their modern heroes has come home.
