Former West Ham forward Niclas Fullkrug is enjoying a surprising revival back at his former club Werder Bremen during the 2026/27 season after a difficult spell in England and Italy following a £27.5million transfer. The German attacker previously reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2023/24 season and scored twice for Germany at the 2024 Euros.
However, his maiden Premier League campaign yielded only three goals in 18 appearances for the Hammers. A subsequent loan spell at AC Milan saw him score just once in 20 Serie A appearances before the Italian club declined to trigger his buy-option.
Back at his boyhood club Werder Bremen for the 2026/27 season, the 6ft 2in attacker has become the top scorer in the league. He has bagged eight goals in seven appearances, translating to a goal every 71 minutes while converting 35 per cent of his shots. By comparison, Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane has managed four goals this season, scoring once every 134 minutes with a 13 per cent conversion rate.
Fullkrug further highlighted his form by scoring two goals in two minutes after coming off the bench against Borussia Dortmund in the DFB Pokal. The second goal featured him nutmegging a defender in his own half, sprinting forward, and scoring from outside the box to level the score before Marcel Sabitzer scored a late free kick to win the match for Dortmund.
West Ham supporters reacted with shock on social media, with one fan asking, “Fullkrug...what do we do to strikers?!” Another joked, “Striker curse might be a real thing,” and a third added, “Mate Fullkrug has even turned into prime van Basten. How does this happen?”
This form highlights ongoing striker struggles at West Ham. While Nuno Espirito Santo’s team is the most free-scoring side in the Championship, their three strikers Taty Castellanos, Pablo, and Joel Piroe have scored only five goals combined, with Castellanos and Pablo scoring one each and Piroe netting three. Santo and the club face a decision when Fullkrug's deal ends regarding whether to integrate him back into the squad or sell him to Bremen.
