BIn the end, Oliver Glasner had hoped that Filip Kostic would stay with Eintracht. This is probably one of the reasons why the Eintracht coach said several times when asked that he did not have the feeling that the Serbian international wanted to leave Frankfurt. But then things turned out differently: The winger Kostic ended his employment with his move to Juventus Turin. To his chagrin, Glasner saw his views not confirmed.
New name, old game? Now, a bit surprisingly, Kevin Trapp has taken center stage on the lively Frankfurt transfer carousel. Because Manchester United, a big club and name in world football, wants to sign the international goalkeeper. Eintracht was informed about this by the English record champions, and Hessen gave the green light to contact the Trapp side.
She now has a concrete offer: Manchester United offers Trapp, whose contract in Frankfurt runs until July 1, 2024, a four-year contract. The earning potential of the 32-year-old Saarlander, who is one of the top earners in Frankfurt with an estimated annual salary of 3.5 million euros, is said to be around three times higher in England. So the money is tempting.
But even in the case of Trapp, Glasner is currently confident that he will continue to work with the goalkeeper. “As far as I know, there hasn’t been any offer from Manchester United for Eintracht so far. That’s why I’m assuming that Kevin will stay,” he told the FAZ on Tuesday. Glasner did not want to comment on whether Trapp was willing to change. “Because I don’t want to say in public what I’m talking about with Kevin.”
Glasner: “It’s important to keep your faces”
It would be very important to Glasner if Trapp remained in harmony, but he does not derive a requirement from this. “It is important to keep your faces in order to continue on the path to success. Kevin Trapp is fundamentally important with his performance and personality. In this case, everyone responsible for sport will be against a change,” said the coach. In addition to Kostic, defender Martin Hinteregger, who ended his career, was lost to the club as a result of “key players” (Glasner).
Erik ten Hag, the new Manchester United coach, wants to make Trapp the new number one in his team. The Spaniard David de Gea has been the number one goalkeeper so far, but ten Hag is not convinced by his performance. However, in the past round he was named “Player of the Season” at United. After two defeats at the start of the season, United were able to defeat Liverpool 2-1 at home on Monday – with 31-year-old de Gea in goal, who played well.
Manchester United is said to be willing to pay a high single-digit million amount as a transfer fee for Trapp. That shouldn’t be enough for Eintracht for their leading player, who is Frankfurt’s figurehead due to his personality and performance. Above all, Eintracht must form an opinion as to whether they can afford to let the goalkeeper, who is currently the most important face of the club, go.
Who would replace Trapp?
The 20-year-old substitute goalkeeper Diant Ramaj does not yet have the format to be able to replace Trapp overnight. The Frankfurters would therefore have to be active on the transfer market and find a new goalkeeper who brings the quality of Trapp and works right away. Sports director Markus Krösche and his team of experts have to assess how realistic that is. Another way would be for Eintracht to extend the contract with Trapp ahead of schedule – on acceptable terms for the goalkeeper.
In the Champions League, Trapp could not play with Manchester United in this round. Sixth in the table last season, the Red Devils are only represented in the Europa League. In this regard, the Europa League winner from Frankfurt has an advantage. At Manchester United, Trapp would not have the outstanding position in sport as on the Main. In the competition with de Gea, the German could not be sure of his regular place. With regard to the World Cup in Qatar, however, Trapp has to play. So he would exchange the security he is used to for a new challenge that is difficult for him to calculate. What if the English soon parted ways with ten Hag?
On the other hand, Manchester’s offer could be the last big one in his career. Even if the English have lost their dominance in recent years, Manchester United is still a famous name. The Premier League also has its appeal. Trapp followed big money before when he joined Paris Saint Germain in 2015. This time, too, it could ultimately mean that he could not have turned down the offer from Manchester United. But Trapp would probably not return to Frankfurt a second time.
