West Ham sign Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug: Decoding his stats
West Ham United have completed the signing of Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug. The 31-year-old left Borussia Dortmund after a season to join the Premier League club. As per Fabrizio Romano, the deal is worth €27m fee plus €5m add-ons. Fullkrug joins the Hammers on a three-year contract with the option of a further year. Notably, he left Werder Bremen to join Dortmund last summer.
Why does this story matter?
Fullkrug was the Bundesliga's joint-top scorer in 2022-23 with 16 goals alongside Christopher Nkunku as he made a switch from Bremen to Dortmund in a deal reportedly worth £12.6m. He had a decent season for BVB, who decided to cash in. West Ham, who were also interested in Aston Villa for striker Jhon Duran, were unable to find an agreement with the club.
Fullkrug's stats in the early part of his career
Fullkrug made his first-team debut for Bremen in 2011-12 after coming through the ranks. He made 24 appearances across two seasons and scored three goals. He made one appearance in 2013-14 and was loaned to Bundesliga 2 side Greuther Fürth, for whom he scored six goals in 24 appearances. He scored 18 goals in 59 matches for Bundesliga 2 side FC Nurnberg thereafter.
His stats for Hannover and Bremen
Fullkrug joined Hannover 96 in the summer of 2016 and scored five goals in 29 appearances. Hannover were promoted to the Bundesliga and the next two seasons saw him score 19 goals across 51 matches. He managed eight assists across three seasons. He re-joined Bremen and scored 46 goals in 99 matches (A13). Overall for Bremen, he clocked 49 goals in 124 competitive matches.
Fullkrug clocked 15 goals and 11 assists for Dortmund
Fullkrug hit 15 goals for Dortmund in the 2023-24 season. 12 of his goals came in the Bundesliga from 29 matches. He scored three times in the UEFA Champions League as Dortmund reached the final. He made 11 assists in total across competitions.
56 goals and 18 assists in the Bundesliga for Fullkrug
Fullkrug made a total of 157 appearances in the Bundesliga for Bremen (2 spells), Hannover and Dortmund. He ended up scoring 56 goals in addition to making 18 assists.
Decoding his stats in the Champions League 2023-24 season
Fullkrug made 13 appearances for Champions League 2023-24 runners-up Dortmund. He scored three goals and made three assists. As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Fullkrug clocked 25 shots excluding blocks out of which 11 shots were on target. He smashed the woodwork twice. He created 18 chances and his passing accuracy was 67.52%. He completed two take-ons and 21 lay-offs.
13 goals in just 21 appearances for Germany
Having made his international debut for Germany in 2022, Fullkrug has gone on to make a total of 21 appearances to date, scoring 13 times. He had a fabulous 2023, netting seven goals in nine appearances. Fullkrug also scored two goals in Germany's run to the quarter-finals at the 2024 European Championship despite not starting a game for Julian Nagelsmann's side.
Individual accolades for Fullkrug
Fullkrug was adjudged Bundesliga Player of the Month on two occasions in September 2022 and October 2022. He was also involved in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2022-23. He finished as the joint-top scorer (16 goals). He also made five assists.
