"I'm just a Werder player now" was Niclas Füllkrug's verdict on his return to Werder Bremen. The striker says the drama of leaving is over, and his first weeks back have made the homecoming look settled in a hurry. He has already scored in the DFB Cup first-round win at Lüneburger SK Hansa and in the Bundesliga win over RB Leipzig on Matchday 2.

Füllkrug's clean break from the past

Füllkrug returned to Werder on loan for a third spell in the summer, and he sounds like a player who wants the move treated as a reset rather than a reunion tour. Speaking to bundesliga.com, he said: "I always try to leave the romantic stuff aside when I think about it all, because I feel like a full Werder player again. For me, the drama of leaving is long gone and behind us. I'm just a Werder player now and working with the team to get the best possible results."

That view fits the start he has made. Niclas Füllkrug walked out alongside his daughter before his first appearance back at the Weserstadion, then scored in front of the east stand. He called it "an amazing feeling" and said, "It just all fell into place." It is hard to argue with the sentiment when the football has come with it.

Early goals at the Weserstadion

The return has not been symbolic only. Füllkrug has made 2 Bundesliga appearances for Werder in 2026 and scored 1 goal, while also scoring 1 goal in 1 DFB-Pokal appearance. Those are modest totals in absolute terms, but they matter because they have arrived immediately, not after a long bedding-in period.

Werder's team results have still been mixed, with wins over RB Leipzig and losses to SC Freiburg, Borussia Dortmund and 1899 Hoffenheim in their last five league matches. Even so, Füllkrug's presence has given the start of the season a clearer emotional centre, which is usually what supporters want from a homecoming like this.

His own route back helps explain why the move carries extra weight. He joined West Ham in August 2024 and scored 3 goals in 29 appearances. His six-month loan at AC Milan in the second half of 2025/26 brought 1 goal in 20 games. Against that backdrop, scoring quickly for Werder is exactly the kind of response he needed.

The early evidence says the return has already landed. Füllkrug has the goals, the crowd reaction and the line he wanted to draw under the past. Werder's next league game will tell us whether the start holds, but the striker has already done the part that mattered most at the Weserstadion.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →