Niclas Füllkrug has recently been linked with teams like AC Milan, Werder Bremen, Augsburg, and Wolfsburg, as the German striker’s talent makes him sought after by numerous clubs despite being 32 years old.
Milan, in particular, is rumoured to have already started talks with West Ham United over a loan deal that might include an option for an additional year of loan.
This potential deal comes at the perfect time for Milan as they are actually in urgent need of a striker following the injury of Santiago Giménez.
In addition to the injury, Giménez‘s attacking contribution was not convincing in the first half of this season.
Indeed, his off-the-ball movement and desire to contribute to the team’s performance were remarkable; however, that alone cannot be sufficient for Milan’s standards.
Furthermore, since Massimiliano Allegri relies on an attacking duo upfront, it is essential for the team to have a starting main striker playing alongside either Christopher Nkunku or Rafael Leão, knowing that both players can do well as second strikers but do not yet convincingly play the role of a main striker.
That’s why signing an experienced pure striker who blocks defenders and moves well inside the box, disrupting his markers, will be extremely crucial for Milan during the second half of the season.
In this Niclas Füllkrug scout report, we will explore Füllkrug‘s profile and assess whether he can be the right player to lead Milan’s attack.
The analysis will also examine Füllkrug’s overall style of play, as well as how he can succeed at Milan and in Serie A.
Niclas Füllkrug Player Profile & Potential Roles At AC Milan
Füllkrug is a striker who has developed at Werder Bremen and played for their various teams before gaining experience at FC Nürnberg, Hannover 96, Borussia Dortmund, and, lately, West Ham United.
He has also been a German international, participating on numerous occasions with the German national team and being useful when the team needed him, despite having had limited overall playing time.
In terms of qualities, Füllkrug is very good in duels and uses his physical strength well to protect the ball and beat his direct opponents.
His height made him extremely useful in aerial duels, and he is reliable at receiving long passes and protecting the ball well with his back to the goal.
This is one of the characteristics that Allegri’s Milan is lacking at the moment, since neither of the strikers at his disposal is accurate or reliable enough to win such balls and protect them.
Even though Giménez is good in terms of aerial duels, he does not win a high average of these duels, and even when he does, he occasionally succeeds in protecting the ball or in serving his teammates accurately.
This means that the arrival of Füllkrug would guarantee much greater ability to disrupt opposing defences, win aerial duels, and eventually build attacking plans on that.
For instance, relying on Mike Maignan’s quick and accurate long passes to launch counter-attacks and combining it with Füllkrug’s header or control and through pass to one of the second strikers or wingers coming from behind can become a dangerous attacking plan to use when opposing defensive blocks get high, and the opponent loses the ball in attack.
Furthermore, Füllkrug is a player who is powerful in the air and can push the team to intensify and diversify crosses into the box, making those crosses much more rewarding, given that Milan have not scored many goals from crosses so far this season.
Although Füllkrug is not a striker who has become very consistent in terms of goalscoring, he has proved throughout his career to be very dangerous in front of goal and has what is needed to pose a threat to any defence.
He moves well without the ball inside the box and knows when and how to anticipate defenders, and that’s very important for a striker.
However, he would need to adapt his rhythm to Serie A, since Füllkrug is mainly used to the Bundesliga’s style of play and, lately, to the Premier League, but with little success.
In Italy, he will need to adjust how he approaches games and deals with defenders to succeed, as he will need to be very intelligent in his movements and anticipation.
And what is even more important for Füllkrug is knowing how to avoid injuries to guarantee consistency, as the German striker is known for having suffered numerous injuries throughout his career, especially during the 2024/2025 season.
At the same time, having the experience and maturity needed will help him integrate quickly into his new environment and succeed with Milan, given that most players over 30 who moved to Serie A teams were successful.
The following pizza chart further confirms that Füllkrug’s main traits are winning aerial duels, scoring goals from inside the box, whether with shots or headers, and driving the team forward thanks to his ball protection and accurate passing.
However, the inconsistency in terms of shots per match and goal contribution rates is worrying.
It is partly related to the injuries that obliged him to stay away from competing with the team.
At the same time, it is also related to his inability to be crucial in a consistent way, and that’s an issue that Milan might suffer from if signing Füllkrug.
Moreover, Füllkrug isn’t particularly effective with key passes or assists, as that’s not one of his traits.
Niclas Füllkrug Pizza Chart 2025/2026
Niclas Füllkrug Goalscoring Traits
In terms of goalscoring, there is a lot to say about Füllkrug, as he is a striker who knows how to handle the various goal-scoring situations he is put in and to create the threat, thanks to his own initiatives when needed.
Niclas Füllkrug Headers
When it comes to headers, he can provide Milan with many solutions, especially from set-pieces, as the German is still capable of being dangerous in those situations.
The following example highlights a recent jump and goal by Füllkrug during a corner kick.
The picture illustrates that he is still capable of jumping higher than everyone else and scoring powerful, well-oriented headers.
His ability to orient his headers with different techniques, depending on the situation, makes him one of the best in this regard.
All he needs is more consistency in scoring goals with headers.
Niclas Füllkrug Left-Footed Finishing
Füllkrug is also a very good finisher in open play situations.
He knows when exactly to attack the space inside the box and when to anticipate his direct opponents in an attempt to be first on potential through passes or crosses.
This helps him increase the number of goal-scoring opportunities per match, as it gives him more chances to be in 1-v-1 duels with opposing goalkeepers.
One of the best examples of this was against Manchester City when Füllkrug exploited the fact that he was not marked tightly and anticipated all of Joško Gvardiol and Bernando Silva’s marking attempts to finally reach the ball first.
He finished with his left foot, and that was not the first time he had scored with his left foot.
In fact, one of the goalscoring traits of Füllkrug is that he scores with both feet and in a natural yet very accurate and powerful way, which makes him quite unique in this regard.
The fact that he scores with both feet and chooses which foot to shoot with depending on the situation gives him a significant advantage against goalkeepers and defenders, as it helps him buy time.
Niclas Füllkrug’s Role In Counterattacks
Füllkrug is also one of the strikers who know how to exploit counterattacks effectively and help their teams finish their attacks.
Whether through long passes or through passes, Füllkrug is usually capable of receiving the ball and finishing quickly using the adequate foot while escaping from marking.
This can be another aspect that Milan would rely on if Füllkrug joined the team.
For instance, a duo of Füllkrug and Pulisic, or Füllkrug and Leão, would be extremely dangerous for Milan’s opponents, as Füllkrug excels at exploiting his teammates’ key passes.
As an example, Füllkrug was dangerous enough to receive a long pass at the back of PSG’s high defensive line and then was able to finish the action with success thanks to a nearly-perfect control followed by a quick left-footed shot that did not leave time for the direct opponent or the goalkeeper to deal with or save.
Niclas Füllkrug Finishing Decision-Making
Füllkrug also proved he can be creative and score with lobbed shots, volleys, and half-volleys, as he knows how to shoot with mastery.
But failing to handle certain situations well might be problematic for Füllkrug, as he tends to miss chances that could be managed more effectively.
Over-complicating things or making the wrong finishing decision is something Füllkrug needs to work on avoiding and limiting, drawing on his ongoing maturity and experience.
One of the many examples of Füllkrug’s misses occurred when he received a long pass and was unable to opt for a first-time volley, so he chose to control the ball, put it to his left, and then shoot.
However, he was unable to coordinate his body effectively and missed opportunities for himself and the team despite having a few passing options.
This happened because Füllkrug was reluctant to shoot at first and then hesitated to shoot after he controlled the ball, which led to missing the right moment to shoot and failing to save the situation with a missed pass/shot.
Conclusion
Overall, Füllkrug can definitely represent an upgrade for Milan at the striker position, as the team lacks natural main strikers and would benefit from someone who excels in the striker role.
That said, some limitations might be decisive in the German’s potential success with the Rossoneri, such as his inconsistent form, his potential long-term injuries, and his inconsistency in terms of goalscoring.
