Niclas Fullkrug is back in the Germany squad for the first time in over a year, and that may be a surprise for West Ham United fans.
The striker has endured a tough time while associated with the London club, and has looked a far cry from the player signed from Borussia Dortmund. After spending the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan, Fullkrug is again temporarily away from the London Stadium.
This time he’s back with Werder Bremen, with whom he started his career and enjoyed his best goalscoring seasons. And he’s looking like the Fullkrug of old, currently leading the Bundesliga‘s Torjagerkanone race with nine goals in nine games.
Niclas Fullkrug’s return to form
Fullkrug’s drop off
Fullkrug’s struggles at West Ham came as a surprise. Although his sole season at Borussia Dortmund wasn’t outstanding, the German still managed to score 12 goals in the Bundesliga. He also shared the creative load with eight assists, the second-most of any Dortmund player behind Julian Brandt (11).
His West Ham stint didn’t get off to the best start. He made three appearances in the Premier League before suffering an injury that would rule him out until December. That would be the story of his season, with another injury ruling Fullkrug out for nine matches between January and April. In total, Fullkrug played 18 games in the Premier League, starting six and scoring just three.
The fact is, Fullkrug wasn’t really getting the chances. He only averaged 1.83 shots per 90 minutes in 2024/25, and only had three big chances — scoring them all. Fullkrug also only averaged 33.46 touches per 90, dropping from his 35.14 at Borussia Dortmund.
Fullkrug’s struggles continued the following season. The German failed to score in his eight Premier League appearances for West Ham, again suffering through injury. He was sent on loan to AC Milan for the remainder of the campaign but only managed one goal in 20 Serie A games. Seventeen of those appearances came from off the bench too, and Fullkrug’s accuracy let him down, hitting the target with just 31.25% of his shots.
Leading the Bundesliga race
Fullkrug appears to have put the past two years behind him. He is still a West Ham player but playing for Werder Bremen again has refreshed Fullkrug. The German said himself that Werder Bremen is his “footballing home”.
With nine goals in nine games, Fullkrug is the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season. He sits one clear of second-placed Patrik Schick, while Harry Kane languishes with just four goals. It’s a stark contrast to his recent seasons.
Fullkrug has scored his nine goals at an average of 1.09 per 90, from 3.98 shots. His accuracy has improved, hitting the target with 60.61% of his efforts, with 2.41 per 90. The German is getting more chances in general. Fullkrug has had 13 big chances in the Bundesliga this season, scoring seven of them.
Finishing quality has been key. Fullkrug has posted 6.06 Expected Goals in the Bundesliga this season, with a further increase to 6.89 post-shot xG. While the improvement of 0.83 may seem minor, and is nowhere near the best in the Bundesliga, Fullkrug is still improving his chances of scoring based on his shot placement.
The German is on the ball more too, averaging 49.46 touches per 90 in the Bundesliga. It’s allowed him to link up with his teammates more, with an average of 1.57 chances created per 90.
How good has Fullkrug been
As you’d expect given the fact that he leads the goalscoring charts, Fullkrug has been one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga this season. The German ranks fourth in the Bundesliga for total shots with 33, behind Kane (43), Michael Olise (40) and Schick (35). But Fullkrug has hit the target more times than any other player (20).
Fullkrug also leads the Bundesliga for big chances scored (seven), goals from headers (two) and penalties (three). Only Kane (7.04) has produced a higher xG, while Schick (7.46) is the only player with a higher post-shot xG.
Drawing further into the comparisons with some of the Bundesliga’s top strikers, Fullkrug’s 1.09 goals per 90 average is better than Schick, Kane, Younes Ebnoutalib and Jonathan Burkardt. Schick does push him close, though, averaging 1.02 goals per 90. Fullkrug has the joint-best conversion rate too, scoring with 27.27% of his shots — the same ratio as Ebnoutalib.
All of this comes despite Fullkrug ranking third out of the five for his 7.0 touches in the opposition box per 90. He’s doing more damage despite having less time in the danger area than Ebnoutalib (7.74 touches in the opposition box per 90) and Schick (7.41).
Fullkrug is having a fantastic season so far, and he’s showing no signs of stopping. The question will be, what does it mean for his West Ham future?