Niclas Füllkrug completes Werder Bremen return on season-long loan

Niclas Füllkrug has completed his return to Werder Bremen, rejoining the Bundesliga club on a season-long loan from West Ham United.

Werder confirmed the deal on Tuesday, bringing the 33-year-old striker back to the club where he developed as a young player and later established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s leading centre-forwards. The move marks Füllkrug’s third spell with Bremen.

He completed his medical earlier in the day before joining his new team-mates in training. BILD reports that Werder will not pay a loan fee and that the agreement does not contain an option to buy, while Füllkrug has accepted a significant reduction in salary to facilitate the move.

For Werder, the deal provides an experienced focal point for an attack that needed greater presence and proven Bundesliga output. Peter Niemeyer, the club’s head of professional football, described Füllkrug as an immediate reinforcement and highlighted his familiarity with the league and the club.

The reunion also carries considerable history. Füllkrug came through Werder’s academy before making his senior breakthrough, returned to Bremen in 2019 and played a major role in the club’s promotion back to the Bundesliga in 2022. A year later, he finished the 2022/23 campaign as the division’s joint leading scorer with 16 goals before leaving for Borussia Dortmund.

His career subsequently took him to West Ham in 2024 and then AC Milan on loan in January 2026. Neither spell delivered the continuity he had enjoyed in Bremen, with injuries limiting his impact after his move to England.

That context makes the move more than a familiar-name signing for Werder. Füllkrug returns at a point when regular football and a defined role are important to him, while Bremen are adding a striker who already understands the environment, carries leadership experience and has previously produced at a high level in the Bundesliga.

Two days after his potential return had re-emerged as an active transfer possibility, the deal has now moved from negotiation to completion. Füllkrug is a Werder Bremen player again, initially for the remainder of the 2026/27 season.