Bremen Chief “Cautiously Optimistic” On West Ham Striker: Should They Sell?

Bremen Chief “Cautiously Optimistic” On West Ham Striker: Should They Sell? Werder Bremen chief executive Klaus Filbry is “cautiously optimistic” about signing Niclas Füllkrug permanently, according to Sport Witness . The 33-year-old rejoined Werder on loan in August after a significant pay cut, and the deal contains no option to buy. Bremen must therefore open talks with West Ham next summer, when the striker has one year left on a contract that runs to 2028. Filbry says the Hammers’ league status will dictate the outcome, and wages explain why. Relegation halved Füllkrug’s salary, which would reportedly return to around £3.5m a year with promotion, a figure Werder cannot approach. The striker who flopped in London and caught fire in Bremen Nobody at the London Stadium predicted this. Füllkrug arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2024 for a reported £23m, scored three goals in 29 appearances and managed one in 20 on loan at AC Milan. Back at Werder, he has 12 goals in 11 appearances across the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, tops the league’s scoring charts and has Bremen fifth. His strengths are obvious. He wins headers, finishes inside the box and holds the ball up while runners arrive. His weaknesses are just as clear. He lacks pace, has no assists this season, and injuries wrecked his West Ham career. He has admitted England never suited him. Scott Parker took over on 4 November after Nuno Espírito Santo’s sacking and used a 4-2-3-1 at Cardiff, with Taty Castellanos alone up front and Jarrod Bowen supplying him from the right. West Ham recovered from 3-0 down to draw 3-3, yet they still trail the automatic places and badly lack a focal point in the box. Should West Ham sell Füllkrug to Werder next summer? BREMEN, GERMANY – OCTOBER 31: Niclas Füllkrug of Werder Bremen celebrates after the Bundesliga 2026/27 match between SV Werder Bremen and TSG Hoffenheim at Weserstadion on October 31, 2026 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) Yes, and without sentiment. Nuno’s decision to loan him out looks poor now, but nobody can undo it, and Füllkrug turns 34 in February. Promotion would leave West Ham paying a veteran who struggled in England around £3.5m a year, while staying down would still mean a squad player on wages the club could spend elsewhere. Bremen’s lack of a purchase option does not help West Ham much either. With a year left, any buyer can wait for the contract to run down, so the Hammers should take a modest fee or a structured deal rather than chase his 2024 price. The proceeds belong in a younger striker who presses and creates, because Füllkrug’s German goals prove nothing about a Championship winter.