Latest news with #Füllkrug
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Woltemade ready to take 'winning mentality' to Germany U21s
Rising German star Nick Woltemade continues to live life in the footballing fast lane. The VfB Stuttgart striker captured the DFB Pokal title with his Bundesliga club a couple of weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, he made his senior German national team debut. Woltemade impressed in his first start for country, so much so that his stay with the seniors was unexpectedly 23-year-old will nevertheless not have time to relish his second game under Julian Nagelsmann. Advertisement As soon as Sunday's fixture is completed, Woltemade is due in the camp of Germany U21 head coach Antonio di highly talented forward shall pull double duty for country this summer. The DFB expects him to help out in the coming U21 European championship. Woltemade spoke on his meteoric rise this year in an interview published on the German FA's website. The Bremen-native could have hardly envisaged all of these exciting developments just one year ago. Stuttgart snapped Woltemade up on a free from Bremen last summer. At the time, he maintained an estimated €7.5m market value. VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß famously left him off Stuttgart's squad for the 2024/25 Champions League group stages. Thanks to 17 goals across all competitions for club this season, Woltemade is now a bonafide €30m-valued star. He also got his name on the scoresheet in all four U21 appearances for country this year and scored a hat trick in his last U21 match. Advertisement 'When I was little, I always hoped that I would be able to achieve these goals one day,' Woltemade noted in his DFB interview. 'The fact that it's all happening so quickly is very exciting and also very crazy. I'm hoping there's more success this summer and it leads to a good conclusion.'\ Woltemade commented on his re-union with former Werder Bremen teammate Niclas Füllkrug on the German national team as well. Füllkrug and Woltemade played alongside each other for three seasons in both the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga between 2019 and 2022. Woltemade would end up missing the Bundesliga campaign that rendered Füllkrug an unlikely German national team star (2022/23) as he was on loan at SV Elversberg. Füllkrug's move to Dortmund the subsequent autumn finally enabled him to start getting some minutes for his academy side. 'Back then, I said: Imagine if we play together for the national team one day,' Woltemade said of the last time he and Füllkrug played together, in the German second division no less. 'It's really funny.' Advertisement As for his impressions of the Julian Nagelsmann's senior Nationalmannschaft, Woltemade stuck to some simple praise of DFB captain Joshua Kimmich. After that, it was time to look forward to the U21 tournament and next summer's World Cup. 'Jo Kimmich in particular exemplifies the winning mentality of the guys here,' Woltemade said. 'I will try to take this mentality with me to the U21s. Hopefully, I'll have a few more senior international caps under my belt by then [next summer's World Cup.]' GGFN | Peter Weis
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Füllkrug reflects on disappointing first season at West Ham
Füllkrug reflects on disappointing first season at West Ham Germany striker Niclas Füllkrug managed just 18 Premier League appearances and three goals in his debut season at West Ham, a campaign hampered by injuries and inconsistency. Speaking to Xinhua, the 32-year-old admitted his first year in the English top flight didn't go as planned. Advertisement However, Füllkrug also played down reports suggesting he wants to leave West Ham after just one season. 'I'm looking forward to my second year in the Premier League. My first wasn't the best,' Füllkrug acknowledged. "I like the style and hope to do better next season. The Premier League is dynamic and physical. Teams follow their own path, go head-to-head with an open visor. It's more of a direct power struggle. 'I'm happy there. I read reports suggesting I'm not, but that's not the case. I'm back to a good fitness level and can't wait for next season.' The 32-year-old forward also reflected on his return to the national team for Germany's upcoming UEFA Nations League Final Four tournament. "I'm happy to be back," he said. 'Maybe not because of a stunning season, but because of certain qualities I bring.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Baleba stunner ends Brighton's winless run and adds to Potter's West Ham pain
Brighton against West Ham should have been a typical end of season exhibition. Brighton's hopes of qualifying for Europe looked a long shot and West Ham's safety was all but guaranteed with or without a point. Instead the match was typical of both teams' form over the last few games. Brighton went into this one without a win in five league games while West Ham had not picked up three points in seven matches. More importantly, Brighton had conceded at least two goals in their last five league games and West Ham were without a comeback win all season. A 3-2 Brighton win should have been no surprise really. Advertisement Related: Bayern v Mainz, Newcastle v Ipswich, Brighton v West Ham, and more: football – live Brighton dominated possession in the first half and Fabian Hürzeler's side looked much more threatening than Graham Potter's. Brighton's pressing and probing paid off in the 13th minute when Yasin Ayari curled a stunning strike into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Simon Adingra, who often found himself in space on the left, played the ball infield to Brajan Gruda who teed up Ayari for the finish. Adingra found himself involved in the action again when his goal was ruled out for offside after a fantastic double save from Alphonse Areola. The Ivorian winger tapped in from six yards out but as soon as he started to celebrate, the flag went up to signal that Mats Wieffer had strayed offside in the buildup. Advertisement West Ham, who played with three at the back, struggled to control the midfield, instead relying on their counterattack. Tomas Soucek had a couple of chances in the first half. The first of which hit the side netting from a tight angle after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's pass. His second opportunity was even better: a towering header tipped on to the crossbar by Bart Verbruggen. Still it was not enough from Potter's side. What West Ham lacked in finesse was made up for in away support. Perhaps relenting to pressure from the crowd, Potter finally did what needed to be done. He brought on Niclas Füllkrug. The change added a new dimension to West Ham's attack with their front three made up of the speedy Jarrod Bowen, the strong Mohammed Kudus and the tall Füllkrug. They got their reward within two minutes of his entry, albeit without Füllkrug's involvement, as Wan-Bissaka threaded a ball through to Bowen who cut it back for Kudus to tap in. Yet, the attack seemed to be the only thing going for West Ham as Potter delayed making another change. Against the run of play, Bowen curled in a perfect cross for Soucek, who had the simple task of heading past the keeper from four yards out. Advertisement Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'. If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you're on the most recent version. In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications. Turn on sport notifications. Potter was seven minutes away from the biggest victory of his West Ham career but his former club did not get the memo. With the clock ticking down, Brighton launched the ball into the box. Gruda headed the ball across to Kaoru Mitoma who headed in the eqauliser with two minutes to go. The stadium erupted. Then just when you thought it could not get any louder, Carlos Baleba decided to rival Ayari and curl in a winner from the edge of the box. Delight for Hürzeler and despair for Potter.
The Guardian
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Baleba stunner ends Brighton's winless run and adds to Potter's West Ham pain
Brighton against West Ham should have been a typical end of season exhibition. Brighton's hopes of qualifying for Europe looked a long shot and West Ham's safety was all but guaranteed with or without a point. Instead the match was typical of both teams' form over the last few games. Brighton went into this one without a win in five league games while West Ham had not picked up three points in seven matches. More importantly, Brighton had conceded at least two goals in their last five league games and West Ham were without a comeback win all season. A 3-2 Brighton win should have been no surprise really. Brighton dominated possession in the first half and Fabian Hürzeler's side looked much more threatening than Graham Potter's. Brighton's pressing and probing paid off in the 13th minute when Yasin Ayari curled a stunning strike into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Simon Adingra, who often found himself in space on the left, played the ball infield to Brajan Gruda who teed up Ayari for the finish. Adingra found himself involved in the action again when his goal was ruled out for offside after a fantastic double save from Alphonse Areola. The Ivorian winger tapped in from six yards out but as soon as he started to celebrate, the flag went up to signal that Mats Wieffer had strayed offside in the buildup. West Ham, who played with three at the back, struggled to control the midfield, instead relying on their counterattack. Tomas Soucek had a couple of chances in the first half. The first of which hit the side netting from a tight angle after Aaron Wan-Bissaka's pass. His second opportunity was even better: a towering header tipped on to the crossbar by Bart Verbruggen. Still it was not enough from Potter's side. What West Ham lacked in finesse was made up for in away support. Perhaps relenting to pressure from the crowd, Potter finally did what needed to be done. He brought on Niclas Füllkrug. The change added a new dimension to West Ham's attack with their front three made up of the speedy Jarrod Bowen, the strong Mohammed Kudus and the tall Füllkrug. They got their reward within two minutes of his entry, albeit without Füllkrug's involvement, as Wan-Bissaka threaded a ball through to Bowen who cut it back for Kudus to tap in. Yet, the attack seemed to be the only thing going for West Ham as Potter delayed making another change. Against the run of play, Bowen curled in a perfect cross for Soucek, who had the simple task of heading past the keeper from four yards out. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Potter was seven minutes away from the biggest victory of his West Ham career but his former club did not get the memo. With the clock ticking down, Brighton launched the ball into the box. Gruda headed the ball across to Kaoru Mitoma who headed in the eqauliser with two minutes to go. The stadium erupted. Then just when you thought it could not get any louder, Carlos Baleba decided to rival Ayari and curl in a winner from the edge of the box. Delight for Hürzeler and despair for Potter.
Telegraph
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Niclas Fullkrug will not face punishment as West Ham hierarchy share rant sentiment
There is a great deal of sympathy towards Niclas Füllkrug from the West Ham United hierarchy after the striker launched a scathing attack on his team-mates, describing their performance as 's---.' The German international will not face any consequences for his angry outburst following the 1-1 draw at home to bottom club Southampton on Saturday. Instead there is a growing sense of frustration – and agreement with Füllkrug – at West Ham, who are now 17th in the Premier League table, just above the three soon-to-be-relegated clubs. There has been no bounce since the appointment of Graham Potter as head coach in January, following the sacking of Julen Lopetegui. West Ham have gained just a point per game, winning only three of Potter's 13 league matches so far, which is worse than the Spaniard's record. Graham Potter with an honest assessment after this afternoon's 1-1 draw with Southampton 🗣️ — West Ham United (@WestHam) April 19, 2025 However, the club is fully supportive of Potter and have been hugely impressed by his work on the training ground and behind the scenes as he attempts to turn the team's fortunes around. But there is frustration at how West Ham have dropped points late on in games, with Southampton scoring in the 93rd minute to salvage a draw. 'It's a mindset problem,' Füllkrug told Sky Sports after the game, when West Ham were booed off at the London Stadium. 'I am very angry. Not disappointed, just angry for what we did after the goal. It was difficult to bring the boys back to push up. We didn't push up any more. We tried but we didn't have the ability or the motivation to push up again. 'I'm very, very angry that we played like this because we had some minutes where we showed what we can do against an opponent like that at home. We showed that we can have good possession, that we can go in behind and that we have the chances to score again. But the motivation, sorry, we were s---. I'm very angry.' It has led to senior West Ham sources questioning the mindset of some of the players with late goals conceded in three of the last five games – including against Everton (a 91st-minute equaliser from Jake O'Brien) and Liverpool (an 89th-minute winner from Virgil van Dijk) – and the lead being lost with 11 minutes left against Bournemouth (in a 2-2 draw). It might be felt that given how injury-hit his season has been, following his £27 million signing from Borussia Dortmund, that Füllkrug is not best-placed to make such a strong criticism of his team-mates. The 32-year-old has made just 15 appearances and scored only three goals. However, the reaction from within the club is that Füllkrug is right and is only saying it as it is and that West Ham need to assess what has been going wrong. The blame is not being laid on Potter, though, and there is optimism that he can turn things around, especially going into next season. Even so, West Ham have little room within the Profit and Sustainability Rules for another heavy summer of spending in the forthcoming transfer window after an outlay last year, following Lopetegui's appointment and after David Moyes left, of around £150 million. Many of those deals have not worked out with the blame being pinned not just on Lopetegui but on technical director Tim Steidten, who left West Ham following Potter's appointment. Steidten was asked to stay away from the training ground by Moyes and also fell out with Lopetegui. Potter brought in Kyle Macauley as his head of recruitment. It means that West Ham will have to sell players before they can give Potter the means to overhaul the under-performing squad at the end of a season when they were targeting qualifying for European football.
