BVB signs Niclas Füllkrug from Werder Bremen – lucky strike for Dortmund, Youssoufa Moukoko suffers

Borussia Dortmund strikes again shortly before the summer transfer window closes and signs Niclas Füllkrug.

Borussia was actually looking for a versatile attacking man in person from Kehl, who could replace the seeded Sébastien Haller at the beginning of next year during his time at the Africa Cup, but at the same time would not stand in the way of Youssoufa Moukoko’s development.

But with the filling pitcher comes a classic nine that claims to play. The top scorer of the past Bundesliga season and current number one striker in the German national team are coming. Today was a clear upgrade to Moukoko, who at the beginning of his fourth Bundesliga season is still waiting for the final breakthrough in the German upper house and now seems to be the victim of the deal.

Now the prospect of more playing time for the former youth sensation seems to have gotten a lot worse. It should be clear that Füllkrug is not signed as striker number three at his career high. It was not for nothing that the Moukoko personnel was also discussed during the negotiations between BVB and Werder. However, Bremen should not have been interested in a possible loan.

There is still time until Friday (September 1st, 2023) at 6:00 p.m. to loan Moukoko out and give him the match practice that is so important at his young age. It’s quite possible that the phones are running hot now.

For Füllkrug, the change of scenery is both an opportunity and a risk. In the autumn of his career in Dortmund, in addition to a hefty salary increase (six million euros a year), he now has the opportunity to play in the Champions League and swap relegation for a title fight in the league. At the World Cup in Qatar, he had recently proved that he was called to higher things than fighting for league status with the Hanseatic League.

However, unlike in Bremen, he will hardly be seeded under Terzic at first and will have to prove himself again in a new environment. “Gap”, as Füllkrug is also called due to a prominent tooth gap, needs good arguments with regard to the European Championships at home next year in order to continue to convince national coach Hansi Flick.

He can now convince by playing against top international clubs in the premier class – and in the league, too, Füllkrug can certainly play an important role for BVB.

Positive for Dortmund: Haller and Füllkrug are similar but not too similar types of players. Both bring massive bodies and excellent headers. While Haller has the somewhat more mature technical skills and fits perfectly into Dortmund’s offensive game as a playing striker, Füllkrug shines with his brute move to the goal and finishing strength, without completely missing his technical skills.

In other words: the native Hanoverian doesn’t have to be fed only with flanks, you can also play him flat, combine with him and, thanks to his good speed, send him into the depths.

Since Füllkrug’s game is more similar to Haller’s than Moukoko’s, the system does not have to be changed significantly if Haller changes to Füllkrug, which obviously caused BVB difficulties on the first two matchdays after Moukoko took over. With a filling jug, a massive target player would remain in the center, minimizing the risk of a fracture in the game.

From an economic point of view, the BVB managers must be congratulated on the transfer in any case. According to reports, Werder Bremen had asked for a fee of around 20 million euros for their top star, BVB is now paying just twelve million euros as a base fee plus three million euros in possible bonuses – despite a contract on the Weser that runs until 2025. A so-called no-brainer.

In the past few weeks, managing director Frank Baumann has made no secret of the fact that the financially strapped Bremen team had to sell their star player when they received a suitable offer. “It is well known that we have economic limits,” the managing director had bluntly admitted to “Deichstube”. But you still want to stretch yourself to convince Füllkrug to stay on the Weser. The fact that this project has now failed is less surprising than the comparatively low transfer fee.