Bundesliga Clubs Eye Niclas Füllkrug for Winter Loan

According to Florian Plettenberg, two Bundesliga clubs, VfL Wolfsburg and FC Augsburg, are showing interest in signing West Ham striker Niclas Füllkrug on loan during the winter transfer window. Plettenberg reports that the Premier League club has granted the 32-year-old permission to leave and is actively seeking a replacement.

Füllkrug is inclined towards returning to Germany to boost his prospects with the German national team ahead of this summer’s World Cup. Both Bundesliga clubs present promising opportunities for the Hannover native, as they are in search of a dependable natural No. 9.

Füllkrug could seamlessly integrate into either team. As recruitment efforts intensify, it is anticipated that Wolfsburg and Augsburg will emphasize specific advantages to attract the experienced Bundesliga forward.

The new head coaching regime at Wolfsburg has identified enhancing the attack as a top priority. Lead striker Jonas Wind has yet to score in the league after ten matchdays, while Algerian international Mohamed Amoura, with four goals, primarily operates from the left flank. Additionally, summer signing Adam Daghim has found more success on the right, with two goals to his name. Young German prospect Dzenan Pejcinovic, who initially impressed with a hat trick in the opening round of the Pokal, has not scored since, indicating that he may not be quite ready for the demands of the Bundesliga.

Wolfsburg would welcome the opportunity to secure a seasoned German mentor like Füllkrug for Pejcinovic. Füllkrug’s style would complement the Wolfsburg attack, where he could be flanked by Amoura and Daghim. Meanwhile, Wind appears likely to depart the club during the January transfer window, making Füllkrug, a native of northern Germany, an ideal fit in Lower Saxony.

At Augsburg, head coach Sandro Wagner is currently grappling with challenges in the league, and the addition of a journeyman striker like Füllkrug could be just what the team needs. Augsburg’s squad is in dire need of a natural No. 9, as current forwards Philipp Tietz and Samuel Essende have struggled to find the net at the Bundesliga level.

Wagner has been utilizing Mert Kömur and Elias Saad in the lead striker position; however, Füllkrug would be a perfect fit, given Kömur’s proficiency on the right and Saad’s strength on the left. Füllkrug has previously enjoyed productive stints in Bavaria, playing for close regional rivals FC Nürnberg and SpVgg Greuther Fürth.