West Ham United flop Niclas Füllkrug is back at Werder Bremen and feeling the love after returning on loan this summer.
SportBILD cover the 33-year-old today, including comments, and how his arrival at Werder Bremen has led to real excitement among the German club’s fanbase.
They explain that the hype surrounding Füllkrug was ‘immense’ in the days following his return earlier this summer. It led to wait times of 30 minutes at the Weserstadion just to buy his shirt. By the last weekend of August, 3,500 of those jerseys had been sold.
Then came the onlookers at training sessions, whose numbers have grown ‘significantly higher’ over the last few weeks. Long-tie observers are comparing the situation to the comebacks of Claudio Pizarro.
“What speaks in Werder’s favor is that players who might be considered to be at a higher level still return, and it works,” explained Füllkrug.
“Claudio Pizarro is one such example. It was a success story for both sides – him and Werder. It would be nice to be able to write a similar story now.”
Ignoring criticism
The striker is more than aware of the criticism, and concerns, about his arrival following difficult years at West Ham and then on loan at Milan.
Former striker Mario Basley recently questioned the deal on his own podcast. But the West Ham loanee isn’t taking it personally.
“I don’t take those comments personally,” he added.
“But if Werder can get a player like me – someone who played for Milan for six months and costs zero euros in loan fees – I don’t know if that’s a bad deal. And Werder can offer me something no other club can.”
Ibrahimovic message
In fact, he would rather focus on the positives, like his experience and knowhow after a difficult few years. There’s also a positive message from legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic ringing in his ears from his short stint in Milan.
“Because I’ve experienced something different over the past few years, my teammates approach me differently and listen to what I have to say,” he concluded.
“That helps with team stability, too. But it’s not just about me; it’s about a core group of experienced players.
“We (Füllkrug & Ibrahimovic) exchanged views on playing as a striker. It was very interesting. He called me the ‘German machine’.”
