NAfter his return to Switzerland, Gelson Fernandes is working on real estate in the Valais. There are new pictures of him that now show the 33-year-old as a smiling businessman in fine thread. The midfielder has swapped the soccer field for a chic workplace in the office. There will be no more current photos of him in the Eintracht jersey, because Fernandes ended his varied career in Frankfurt after 520 games as a professional this summer.
He took the same step as his former team-mate Marco Russ. The 35-year-old, who played 328 competitive games for Eintracht, will stay with Eintracht in a new role and will work in the “Analysis” area in the future thanks to his follow-up contract. What else do he and Fernandes, who were both deputies of Captain David Abraham, have in common? Both were important personalities and thus corset rods in the Bundesliga squad who, thanks to their great experience and their open manner, made great contributions to the common good. The multilingual Fernandes provided valuable services in integrating new players. And Russ, who was born in Hanau, was an important figure in the Frankfurt ranks, especially for the young players.
Without the two of them, Frankfurt now need new leaders. Those who, with their demeanor, also strengthen cohesion and promote harmony in the team off the pitch. The big upheaval at the team-internal management level has not yet occurred because Abraham and the deputy captain Makoto Hasebe will continue to march forward as leaders in the new season. But the end of their time as professionals at Eintracht is in sight. The 34-year-old Argentinian Abraham could go to his homeland in winter for private reasons; if the defender does not do that, he will do it in summer 2021. And for the 36-year-old Hasebe it will most likely also be the last season – despite his status as a model professional.
Hütter needs personalities
In the team of head coach Adi Hütter, a new hierarchy has to develop in the coming months with players at the top who are willing to take on more responsibility. From Hütter’s point of view, there are enough candidates for an exposed position. “We have players in our ranks who are 26 to 29 years old. They have played an incredible number of games, including an incredible number of international ones. And those who can, must and will slip into this role, ”said Hütter.
He mentioned Sebastian Rode and Martin Hinteregger by name. In addition, the head coach took on three other professionals in the distribution of special tasks. “Timothy Chandler is still there, Danny da Costa is a player who has to grow into this role, including Dominik Kohr. All of them are of the age at which I say they can take on management positions. ”Now the athletic management level only needs to be filled with life by those addressed.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp is also a valued leader in Frankfurt who could follow Abraham as captain in the future. But it is said of Hütter that he prefers a field player in this role. Like Trapp, the dangerous defender Hinteregger has the skills to be the mouthpiece of the team. However, if Eintracht wanted to generate valuable transfer proceeds in the transfer period up to October 5th, the Austrian international would be one of the most promising sales candidates.
The extremely strong defender is said to have been the focus of several English clubs for a long time. The Frankfurters could probably sell Hinteregger with a significant added value, after paying an estimated nine million for him to FC Augsburg. But Hinteregger, with his many strengths, could hardly be replaced at Eintracht. In Frankfurt, where he says he feels very comfortable, he achieved a significant boost in performance.
Kohr and da Costa are still too fickle in their performance. The main thing for the winger da Costa will be to find the way back to previous strengths from the previous season. With the new attempt it could work, the upswing was unmistakable for him in the final sprint of the previous lap. The same applies to Kohr, who has only taken the next step in his development when he presents himself in a playful way on a permanently higher level. And Rode? After stints at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern, the midfield engine has matured in many ways. His opinion matters. As things stand today, the native of Hesse is a top candidate for the post of captain if Abraham’s farewell has become a reality.
.
