Assessing Our Squad for the Upcoming Season
Markus Krösche has built arguably one of the best Eintracht Frankfurt squads in the club’s history. In the past season the team, led by Dino Toppmöller, pulled off a groundbreaking third place finish in the Bundesliga. Here’s an overview of the squad planning for next season and what we can expect to achieve.
GOALKEEPERS
Following the serious injury to Kauã Santos and the likely departure of upcoming talent Nils Ramming to Brighton, the hierarchy in goal is expected to be the same as one year ago. Trapp will go into the season as the clear first choice with Kauã Santos as his aspirant and Jens Grahl as the emergency backup. As reported by Christopher Michel, Eintracht are not looking to sign a new goalkeeper for the approaching season.
CENTER BACKS
The future of our center back position looked very uncertain when Koch, Theate and Tuta were all linked with moves elsewhere. The past weeks have brought important clarity. Koch has signed a new contract, Theate has reportedly decided to stay, while Tuta‘s departure seems inevitable. Ko Itakura seems to have been identified as the preferred replacement for the Brazilian, as reported by multiple sources. If the Japanese joined, the structure in the center back position would also stay almost identical to last season. Koch, Theate and Itakura would be the planned starters. Collins would be a backup/challenger for the right center back position. Unlike last season, Aurèle Amenda will now hopefully be an additional option for the center back position.
LEFT (WING) BACK
After the revelation of Nathaniel Brown last season, the hierarchy in the left back position seems set. The 21-year-old will definitely be planned as a starter, although we can’t surely say in which position yet. Due to the tactical flexibility of both Toppmöller and his players it’s unclear whether he’ll prefer a back four or a back five next season. In a back three/five, Brown‘s position is clear. In a back four he could play either in the left back position or further forward. Arthur Theate could then play as a more defensive left back.
Eintracht Frankfurt are open to let Niels Nkounkou leave. In the rather likely case of a departure, Frankfurt would need to sign a new left (wing) back. In a recent Instagram post, we recommended Tom Rothe (Union Berlin), Miro Muheim (Hamburger SV) and Souffian El Karouani (FC Utrecht). Bernardo, who was close to joining Eintracht Frankfurt, has ended up at Hoffenheim.
RIGHT (WING) BACK
Rasmus Kristensen is the undisputed starter on the right side. Our community voted him as the best player of the 2024/25 season, not long ago. Elias Baum, who will return from a successful loan spell at Elversberg, can provide cover. It will be interesting to see how the homegrown talent adapts in his first Bundesliga season. Collins could also play on the right, as shown at the U21 Euros. In a back three system Ansgar Knauff and Ritsu Doan, who is set to join from Freiburg, are also options. Timothy Chandler will once again play an insignificant role on the pitch. He will, however, be a vital part of the squad as a mentor for younger players and as a source of positive vibes in the dressing room.
CENTRAL (DEFENSIVE) MIDFIELD
This position, more specifically Ellyes Skhiri, was one of the most discussed among fans in the past season. The question whether or not we should sign a replacement for the Tunisian remains controversial. What’s sure is that we will sign another central midfielder, most likely Victor Froholdt, as Mo Dahoud will leave the club after a surprisingly disappointing season. An alternative could be French talent Valentin Atangana from Stade Reims. The profile of the wanted new midfielder seems obvious: young, good at carrying the ball and available for €10-20m. The key player of our double pivot will still be Hugo Larsson. The Swedish wonderkid, wanted by Manchester City and Real Madrid, has decided to stay with the Eagles for at least one more year.
Oscar Hojlund and Paxten Aaronson, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Utrecht last season, will go into the season as backups/challengers. Aaronson could also play a little bit more attacking.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD
Mario Götze was one of the most important players in the second half of the season, before suffering a muscle injury, which ruled him out for the deciding phase of the season. After Götze‘s injury, Toppmöller switched to a 3-4-3 formation, abandoning the No. 10 position. The German magician’s comeback could make Toppmöller switch back to a 4-2-3-1 system. Players like Fares Chaibi and Can Uzun would profit from that. Both could also play in the half spaces of a 3-4-2-1 system though. Regardless of the formation the coach will decide on, it will be very interesting to see how the two do next season after having some problems in the past one. Both need to take the next step in their development and especially Uzun will be watched closely — not only by Eintracht fans.
WINGERS
There was no need to split the "wingers" section into two, because we actually just have two of them at the club right now. That’s why Markus Krösche wants to sign at least one new winger. On the right, Ritsu Doan will most certainly join. He will be the masterpiece of this transfer window. The Japanese was one of the Bundesliga’s best wingers last season, delivering 18 goal contributions. A new left winger might also join. Sebastian Nanasi from Strasbourg and Mamadou Diakhon from Stade Reims have been linked to Eintracht.
By signing one or two more wingers, Krösche wants to make the team even more flexible and versatile. Toppmöller could play almost every formation possible next season.
While new wingers will join, Ansgar Knauff and Jean Matteo Bahoya will still remain important. Both will be rewarded with new contracts soon, as revealed by Bild. Junior Dina Ebimbe will leave Eintracht Frankfurt after not having played a single game since March.
STRIKERS
Hugo Ekitike is very likely to take the next step in his career after an outstanding last season in the Bundesliga. According to Sky, Eintracht only have a 1% chance of keeping the Frenchman at the club for next season. With the transfer window opening in less than a week, negotiations are set to become serious soon. Liverpool and Chelsea are currently the favorites to secure Ekitike’s signature. As a replacement, Eintracht Frankfurt will most likely sign Jonathan Burkardt from Mainz 05, who has already agreed to join. He would be the second big signing of the summer, next to Ritsu Doan. A scout report, analyzing the role of the German striker, will be released soon.
Elye Wahi will be one of the players to watch next season. After a very underwhelming first few months at the club, the fans are expecting big improvements from the €26m record signing. (You can read more about his situation here. - link to Wahi article)
Michy Batshuayi did a decent job in his first half season at Eintracht Frankfurt. He’s expected to stay as a backup striker, although he’s also known for switching teams quite often. Igor Matanovic will most certainly leave Eintracht, either on loan or permanently, the latter being the more probable option.
How Eintracht’s squad could look next season
TAKEAWAYS
While losing our most talented player, Hugo Ekitike, we’re still on track to keep most parts of the team together. This is a really big thing. It shows the development Eintracht Frankfurt has taken and the reputation the club has reached. Key players like Hugo Larsson or Arthur Theate have reportedly decided to stay at Eintracht, despite interest from the biggest clubs in Europe.
We do not need to build a completely new squad for the next season. Instead, the team can continue the good work from last year. There will only be a few tweaks and improvements, that’s part of the process though. Eintracht Frankfurt is starting to establish themselves among the big teams. We‘re becoming more stable and consistent. Dino Toppmöller, who recently signed a new deal until 2028, played a big role in that development.
Eintracht Frankfurt are becoming a Bundesliga top team, as the quality of this squad shows. Even if we don’t manage to repeat the incredible achievement of qualifying for the Champions League next season, it’s not bold to assume that we’ll play a serious role in the race for European football.
What do you think about our squad planning and transfers? What areas still need improvement?
