Three Alternatives to Victor Froholdt
According to multiple reliable sources, Victor Froholdt is our number one transfer target for the central midfielder position this summer. However, Markus Krösche and Danish record-champions FC Copenhagen can’t seem to agree on the transfer fee. Copenhagen demand around €25m for their player. Our latest offer of around €16m plus add-ons was rejected, and transfer negotiations are currently on hold. That’s why we have identified four alternatives, should the Froholdt deal fall through entirely:
1 - Valentin Atangana
The most obvious alternative is Valentin Atangana, as he’s already one of the alternatives for Victor Froholdt on Eintracht’s scouting list, recently revealed by Bild. Atangana is a 19-year-old talent, currently playing for Reims in Ligue 1. At his young age, Atangana is nearly a complete midfielder. He possesses great technical ability and athleticism, enabling him to carry the ball through midfield – even if he doesn’t do it as often as Victor Froholdt.
Atangana is also a great defender. The French youth international’s defensive strength would allow him to be both a backup, but also a partner for Hugo Larsson. Below you can see Atangana’s (left) and Froholdt’s (right) defensive stats compared to each other.
Stats via FotMob
What’s particularly interesting is Atangana’s strength in aerial duels. He’s among the best 8% of midfielders in the top five leagues for aerials won, despite standing at just 1.73m. Below you can see FotMob’s Player Trait Graph, visualizing Atangana’s strengths in defending and heading.
Stats via FotMob
The French midfielder should be available for around €15m. For the ability and especially the potential you’re getting when signing Atangana, that’s definitely a reasonable price tag. It also fits the range of €10-20m, which Krösche is ready to pay for his new midfielder.
2 - Noah Sadiki
If you’ve been following us closely, you know that we’ve recommended him before. The 20-year-old Congolese is a very versatile midfielder. At the Anderlecht academy he played multiple positions until Vincent Kompany made him a professional. Now at Union SG, he mainly plays as a central midfielder in a 3-5-2 system, similar to ours. In the past season he was a key player in Union’s first league title triumph in 90 years.
At only 1.65m tall, Sadiki is not very strong or aerially dominant. However, he’s still solid defensively. His biggest strengths emerge when he’s on the ball though. The technical midfielder has a passing completion of 86% and is among the top 14% at carrying the ball. The Congolese international is also a very creative midfielder. Below you can see Sadiki’s Player Trait Graph.
Stats via FotMob
Due to his lack of physicality he would probably need a strong and more defensively minded midfielder like Ellyes Skhiri next to him and wouldn’t build a great duo with Larsson, who, despite his height of 1.87m isn’t a physical monster.
Sadiki could probably be signed for around €10-15m – a decent price for such a talented player. It would also fit our price range.
3 - Neil El Aynaoui
Neil El Aynaoui, a 23-year-old midfielder from RC Lens, would be the most complete and already established option. He would be the optimal replacement for Hugo Larsson. According to FBref, the statistically most similar midfielder in the top five leagues to El Aynaoui is Larsson. Even if the Swede will stay at the club for another year, Toppmöller would surely find a way to fit them both into the team.
Neil El Aynaoui has everything you want from a midfielder; technique, passing ability, defensive work rate and attacking threat. The Moroccan scored eight goals in the past season, from a deep defensive role similar to Larsson’s at Eintracht Frankfurt. El Aynaoui also stood out defensively ranking in the top 6% for interceptions and in the top 5% for blocks. The only box that the 23-year-old doesn’t tick is the ability to carry the ball. Even though his ball control allows him to shake off opponents in tight spaces, he rarely carries the ball over long distances. Again, we’ve displayed his Player Trait Graph below.
Stats via FotMob
Neil El Aynaoui would offer a slightly different profile. He would be the most established, but also most expensive alternative. Transfermarkt currently values him at €15m. However, with several top European clubs showing interest in the midfielder, RC Lens’ demands could also be similar to those of Copenhagen.
Would you pay up to €25m for Victor Froholdt, or should Eintracht Frankfurt focus on alternatives? Discuss below!
