During the day, AC Milan finalized the loan of national striker Niclas Füllkrug, and in the evening, the 32-year-old was already on the pitch for the first time. He came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win in Cagliari and celebrated with his new team as they temporarily jumped to the top of the table.
Although his loan transfer had been an open secret for several days, it took until Friday for it to be finalized. After Serie A announced Niclas Füllkrug’s move from West Ham to AC Milan in the morning, the two clubs involved followed suit in the afternoon. By the evening, the 32-year-old was already on the pitch for the first time.
In the Rossoneri’s 1-0 win in Cagliari, the national team striker came on in the 69th minute for match-winner Rafael Leao and not only helped to preserve the lead. Shortly before the end, he almost collected his first assist, but Christian Pulisic failed to beat home keeper Elia Caprile. Nevertheless, the three points in Sardinia see Milan temporarily jump to first place in the tight Serie A table.
Anticipation for San Siro – Praise from the media
“Perfect debut, perfect start to the new year. I am very honored to have played my first game. I already feel at home, even though my first home game is still to come – I can’t wait,” Füllkrug wrote on Instagram after the game. The former Dortmund and Bremen player won’t have to wait long: Milan will be back in action on Thursday at San Siro against Genoa, with three points at stake in the league. Praise came after his first game: the newspaper La Repubblica recognized the German newcomer as “finally a true center forward” for the Rossoneri. Corriere dello Sport also commented on Milan’s recent concerns in this position: “The center forward problem is about to be solved.” Even before his transfer, Oliver Bierhoff, a German predecessor at Milan, had praised Füllkrug in the Italian media for his qualities as an “old-school striker.”
He was unable to demonstrate these qualities often enough at West Ham: due to injury, Milan’s new number 9 only made 26 appearances in the Premier League (three goals) in London. In Italy, Füllkrug now wants to recommend himself for national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad again through appearances and goals. Last year, he only made two appearances for the DFB team.
