There is a lot at stake for Werder Bremen in the game against VfL Wolfsburg. A defeat against VfL Wolfsburg means a second half of the relegation battle. But World Cup star Niclas Füllkrug scores twice, ending the crisis and the rumors about his move. He leaves a back door open.
Niclas Füllkrug grinned mischievously. "I don't think there's any reason to get nervous now," said the goalscorer with the prominent gap in his teeth, making the Werder Bremen fans cheer once more. "Fülle" first ended the Werder crisis with his brace in the 2-1 (1-0) win against VfL Wolfsburg, after which the national player announced that he would stay on the Weser.
"I like being here," said Füllkrug and said, looking at the transfer window that closes on Tuesday: "I don't think anything else will happen there." The fans had to wait a long time for this confession. Finally, Füllkrug drew attention to the big stage with his appearance at the World Cup in Qatar, and speculation about a change picked up speed at the latest after his change of advisor during the winter break - especially since Füllkrug was silent for a long time.
He didn't say anything on the subject for a long time, "because I didn't feel like answering the annoying questions about the transfer period," said Füllkrug, who now leads the Bundesliga's top scorer list with 13 goals. The 29-year-old wants to continue scoring for Werder at least until the summer. "He's a very, very important player for us, that's clear," said coach Ole Werner about the whereabouts of the Füllkrug: "I'm happy if that's the case."
He underlined once again against Wolfsburg how important Füllkrug is for Werder. The attacker is simply a real executor, converted a hand penalty ice cold (24th) and then decided without frills from a short distance. After four bankruptcies in a row, they even had to celebrate twice on the Weser. Werder's marketing department reacted quickly, when buying a jersey in the online shop the imprint "Füllkrug" was free.
He was "very proud", said Füllkrug after the "very strong" performance. They didn't want to overestimate the four bankruptcies at the Waterkant, especially since "three against the top 3" of the league happened. But of course it wasn't an easy phase for Werder. "Every team has dents in a season, including Bayern. That happens. The only question is how you get out of it," said Füllkrug: "Now we've taken a big step in the right direction." The next step should follow at VfB Stuttgart next week.
And for Füllkrug, the next step could probably follow in the summer. His commitment to Werder only applies to the second half of the season. "What came to inquiries was rejected by me in the first instance," said Füllkrug. But: He also changed consultants because sometimes "you might want to try something new again," said Füllkrug: "What that entails in the end remains to be seen." And then he grinned mischievously again.
