The next of our 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News covers Eintracht Frankfurt. Man, does the author ever have some serious explaining to do here. Labelled...
The next of our 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News covers Eintracht Frankfurt. Man, does the author ever have some serious explaining to do here. Labelled as title contenders at the beginning of the season – not to mention celebrated as a team destined to tear up the Champions League – Dino Toppmöller’s RheinMainAdler have proven a tremendous flop.
After the latest disappointing Bundesliga outing, there’s some talk that we won’t be referencing “Dino Toppmöller’s Eintracht” for very much longer. The author doesn’t see it happening, however. Despite all the persistent issues, Eintracht are only four points off the top four. The team still often appears very strong in possession. The midfield actually defends better than it did in previous seasons.
The major problem with Toppmöller’s crew concerns the fact that the back line has been absolutely atrocious. Whether Toppmöller rolls with a back-four or a 3-4-3 that moves Rasmus Kristensen and Nathaniel Brown up to the wingback roles, newly anointed skipper Robin Koch simply cannot organize his colleagues. Can Koch somehow recapture the form he displayed late last season?
Well. The author must first admit that he may be the last person alive not prepared to give up on his fellow Kaiserslautern-native. To the author’s eyes at least, Koch has recently turned in some decent performances against Napoli and Barcelona in the Champions League. Koch also did well against Dortmund in the Pokal and looked strong against Augsburg, Wolfsburg, and Hamburg in the league.
The major problem here remains the loss of Jonathan Burkardt. Though there were plenty of horrible team performances before Burkardt succumbed to injury, the inexorable downward spiral. Prior to this event, Eintracht were second only to Bayern in terms of goal-scoring efficiency. Burkardt’s loss left a complete void, something the club is already well on its way to rectifying.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Yes, we still have to cop to this.
Winter Predictions Check, Eintracht Frankfurt
Predicted Table Position – 2nd place
Actual Table Position – 7th place, 25 points
(7-W, 4-D, 4-L)
(0 G-Diff)
Thirty goals scored and thirty conceded. It’s ridiculous. The ten-goal match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the seven-goal affair against Union Berlin, and another seven-goal match against Köln. We also have the blowout loss against Liverpool in the Champions League and that total declassing at the hands of RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. No, this team cannot defend. That’s a hard fact. Burkardt and the improved midfield, impressively, managed to offset this for a time. The increased pressure placed on the new midfield nevertheless leads to this team no longer being much of a counterattacking threat.
The lack of impetus on the counter also remains an unavoidable result of the loss of Hugo Ekitiké in the offseason. Eintracht again ran into some hard luck when their most creative burgeoning young player, Can Uzun, had to head to the sidelines with injury too. Unfortunately, young fullbacks Nnamdi Collins head in the opposite direction form-wise thanks to very different experiences with the German national team. To think what might have been had Collins and Brown continued to rise in concert with each other. Collins traversed a very different path last spring.
Autumn Transfer Assessment, Eintracht Frankfurt
Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = +€61.6m
Eintracht’s multiple blockbuster sales over the last three years, dating back to the €95m Randal Kolo Muani transaction, mean absolutely no one need worry about this club’s finances. Frankfurt have been running huge transfer surpluses thanks to all the sales of their talent and pocketed another €100m from the departures of Ekitiké and Omar Marmoush last year. The combined €21m the Hessians have already shelled out for their January 2026 transfers isn’t of terribly much relevance, though the administrative team of Markus Krösche and Timmo Hardung does need to do better this January than last.
Burkardt and Doan absolutely justified their respective €21m purchases this past summer. Rasmus Kristensen’s permanent purchase (€6m) amounts to chicken-scratch in the grand scheme of things. New starting keeper Michael Zetterer cost the club only €5m. Zetterer’s acquisition following previous captain Kevin Trapp’s shock last-minute departure proved a real lifesaver, particularly considering the fact that things having worked out as planned with young Brazilian goalkeeping prospect Kaua Santos.
This summer’s transfer class deserves to be labelled a total success. As noted above, however, Krösche and Hardung must keep last January firmly in mind. Entirely too much money was spent to sign Arthur Theate on a permanent basis. Devastating flop Elye Wahi cost the club a whopping €26m. Michy Batshuayi only constituted a €3m outlay, but a PR-related striker purchase wasn’t what this team needed. Someone of more reliable quality for twice the price would have gone a long way.
It’s also to the case that Eintracht swim in a vault of gold. Stadium upkeep, high player salaries, and a very large club staff all serve as a strain on the SGE budget. Eintracht’s sporting success both in the Bundesliga and Europa League triggered a set of lucrative bonuses on the player salary front. Krösche and his staff recently had to answer for all the built-in contractual bonuses at a general assembly. Such bonuses, shockingly, amount to around €60m in additional expenditures.
Eintracht still collect plenty of TV and brand revenue. Membership soars. Merchandising increases every year thanks to the continued success of the club. More global followers like the notion of backing the “German Eagles” and their live mascot. Matters can still go off the rails quickly here. The author does prepare to be absolutely wrong (yet again) as pertains to optimism over the SGE. Toppmöller must face Stuttgart and Dortmund in quick succession before the Hin-Runde officially concludes.
Okay, here’s a pessimistic prediction.
Two bad losses will spell the end of Toppmöller’s coaching regime.
Still unlikely that will happen.
Dead Weight Ledger and Expiring Contracts, Eintracht Frankfurt
Most of the pieces of “dead weight” are already on their way to takers. Elias Baum appears headed to Heidenheim. Multiple reliable sources report that Eintracht have worked out a deal to send Elye Wahi back to his native France. The SGE team apparently learned from the busted transfers involving Aurelio Buta this past summer and should be able to get the Portuguese right back on his way shortly after the window opens. Interest in Batshuayi and Auréle Amenda exists, but Eintracht appear determined to hang onto both of them.
After potentially parking a few developmental prospects, attention turns to the expiring contracts. One assumes that back-up keeper Jens Grahl will renew. Mahmoud Dahoud’s latest renaissance (predictably enough) proved short lived. One expects the twice-capped German international to be on his way again once the season concludes. Eintracht have now twice renewed Timothy Chandler’s contract despite the fact that the former USMNT international maintains no prospects of playing again. Weird. This should finally be the year Chandler begins to launch his coaching career.
Dead-Weight Ledger = Elias Baum (RB), Auréle Amenda (CB) Aurelio Buta (RB), Noah Fenyö (DM), Michy Batshuayi (CF), Elye Wahi (CF)
Expiring contracts = Jens Grahl (GK), Amil Siljevic (GK), Timothy Chandler (RB), Mahmoud Dahoud (CM)
Further Needs and Rumored Links, Eintracht Frankfurt
One must emphasize that the four signings thus far are all players totally unproven at this level. One really wonders how the addition of Younes Ebnoutalib will work out. Krösche and the team attempt to play “hot hand” here. Ebnoutalib may well disappear from the German footballing scene just as quickly as he came. Chatter over Newcastle’s William Osula has actually quieted down quite after the Dane recently got hurt. Talk of Nottingham Forest’s Arnaud Kalmuendo being Eintracht’s big January target looks to be just that. Nothing about any substantially concrete negotiations has emerged.
Links with Mainz’s Kaishu Sano, Hoffenheim’s Max Moerstedt, Bremen’s Karim Coulibaly, and Hertha’s Kennet Eichhorn all hold that Eintracht hope to acquire these players after the season. In terms of immediate help in central defense, the Ismaël Doukouré and the Vitaly Jenelt links are the strongest. To the sure disappointment of many a football fan, it doesn’t appear as if there’s been much movement on the Yann Aurel Bisseck front. Germans would love to have the Köln native back, but the current Inter Milan star is simply too expensive.
Further Needs = CB, RB, DM, RM, ATTM, SS, CF, RW
Rumored Links = Karim Coulibaly (CB), Ismaël Doukouré (CB), Yann Aurel Bisseck (CB), Kennet Eichhorn (DM), Soungoutou Magassa (DM), Kaishu Sano (DM), Vitaly Janelt (DM), Darryl Bakola (ATTM), Nikola Vlasic (ATTM), William Osula (CF)
Category: General Sports
