Niclas Füllkrug, regarding his motivations for joining West Ham: “My goal is to reach the Champions League.”

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·4 September 2024

Niclas Füllkrug, regarding his motivations for joining West Ham: “My goal is to reach the Champions League.”

Speaking at his press conference for the Germany national team, the new West Ham and former Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug revealed why he left the club in the summer.

After the arrival of Serhou Guirassy, Dortmund had four senior strikers, by the end of the window the other three, Füllkrug, Sebastien Haller and Youssoufa Moukoko had all left. Füllkrug ended up swapping Dortmund for East London in a move worth €30m. On why he left the club, Füllkrug said (via @bvbnewsblog):

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“”I always want to offer a certain degree of transparency. I want the fans to understand me, but I also don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, there are of course various reasons why I started thinking about a change in the first place. Of course, a transfer like the one BVB made is not the greatest vote of confidence for me. But in the end it turned out that there were some attractive offers in the running alongside West Ham, which I looked into, I decided to fulfill another dream. The Premier League is a very special place. I felt an incredible conviction, an incredible trust.”

So far, the 31-year-old is enjoying life with West Ham:

“I speak good English, that’s the most important thing. Moving abroad is something different, it’s a big change for my family and me. It’s a completely new chapter in my life, but I feel very comfortable with my decision. The style of football is different: the game is much more physical and dynamic than in Germany, but much less tactical. In general, there have been big changes at my club, it will take a few more match days for us. We are a team with a lot of quality and want to surprise in the Premier League. My goal is to reach the Champions League.”

Füllkrug, whose role at the EUROs was mainly deputising for Kai Havertz off of the bench then spoke on his role in the team after he was promoted to the team council:

“I have moved up the hierarchy a little. But I haven’t changed what I do. I want to be at the forefront of the current process and also do my job off the pitch. I don’t talk to the national coach about my playing time that much. I want to perform so well on the pitch that the national coach has a hard time deciding against me.”

Since moving to West Ham, Füllkrug is yet to score as most of his appearances have come off of the bench as he adjusts to life in England and under Julian Lopetegui. Due to the injury of Guirassy, Dortmund have had to play fellow summer signing and Germany teammate Maximilian Beier upfront and the lack of presence from a big striker has clearly been felt in Dortmund’s opening games.

GGFN | Jack Meenan