Split
What will become of top performers like Evan Ndicka or Kevin Trapp at Eintracht Frankfurt? The starting position for both is quite difficult.
In the short, crisp man-to-man duels, the lithe defender Evan Ndicka had a hard time stopping the attacking compatriot Randal Kolo Muani. Fast as lightning, the prevented World Cup hero sped past the Eintracht defender not only once, instep, bang, goal. It’s easy when the whole world isn’t watching. Ndicka had to use all his skills to stop Kolo Muani at least sometimes. It’s not so easy against this greyhound. But now you know.
Despite the problems against the shooting star, there is not the slightest doubt about the fundamentally extraordinary abilities of the 23-year-old Ndicka, the Frenchman has developed into a top central defender over the years, a pillar in the center, indispensable, cool, elegant, simple a class of its own. Such a guy, who is also reliable and calm, is in demand and highly coveted in the industry. That is known.
Eintracht, and that’s no secret either, would like to continue working together with the left foot, but because his contract is expiring, there are plenty of interested parties and the player’s consulting agency is hoping for an incredibly warm windfall, the chances are not great. The Frankfurt sports management knows that. The other side did not react to the well-endowed offer from Eintracht.
And yet the future planning of the model professional turns out to be more difficult than expected. This is primarily due to his agents, who want to make rubbish and cash in big. First of all, this is nothing reprehensible per se, but the good right and perhaps even the obligation of the consultant to his client. Especially since Ndicka, who has been in Frankfurt since 2018, is not one of the top earners in the squad. That would change with the newly drafted working paper, but that is not valuable enough for the player’s entourage.
The catch: You seem to have gambled a bit and lost touch with reality. Because they offer their man at all sorts of top European clubs, which are also not averse. Interested parties read like the Who’s Who of international football: Paris St. Germain, Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal FC, Barcelona FC, Sevilla FC. The stupid thing: they offer it at crazy prices. With some club representatives, the mediators have already gotten bloody noses and have been put on the index.
Because for Ndicka’s commitment, a club would have to be ready to put together a five-year package of around 50 million euros. That’s a lot of cash for a player who’s available on a free transfer in the summer. But what does free transfer mean in these times? If the releasing club doesn’t collect anything, the player side gets even more from the receiving club. In this case, the agents are aiming for an initial fee of 15 million euros (of which they naturally participate to a considerable extent) and an annual salary of a good seven million euros. These numbers and also the bold demeanor deter quite a few officials, who withdraw and categorically reject the behavior of the Ndicka managers. Some are even said to have finally broken off the negotiations. In the end, Eintracht could come into play again, even if the chance is still not particularly great. But at some point the player will have to answer the question for himself as to what is right for him and whether he is actually well advised. It will take a little time until then.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp’s future is also unclear, at least after 2024. That’s how long his contract in Frankfurt will run, and here too those responsible are trying to extend the contract. However, implementation and design are difficult. The manager in the box has achieved a good reputation in the market and has done an outstanding job over the past year and a half. That didn’t go unnoticed, last summer Manchester United kept an eye on the 32-year-old, now Bayern are said to have at least checked with Trapp’s consulting agency whether he could possibly step in for the indisposed Manuel Neuer.
Sports director Markus Krösche sensed a story launched by the Trapp agency that Bayern’s interest was “complete nonsense”. This clear announcement was not well received by the Trapp representatives, the switching center around the well-known manager Volker Struth is said to have been irritated and had a cold.
This is not the only reason why the negotiations are not really gaining momentum. Eintracht offers their character a well-paid, long-term contract that extends to their career – however, the performance-related parameters should be taken into account and many variables should be built in. The devil is in the detail, it can take time. In the Eintracht circle there should be one or the other who would like the matter to be dealt with more quickly and quietly. But sports director Markus Krösche can be an unyielding, stubborn and uncomfortable negotiating partner.
It is of course not to be expected that the unresolved contractual situation – Daichi Kamada can also leave the club free of charge in July – will have an impact on the rest of the season. The players are too focused and professional for that, they still have far too much to do with the team and goals that are too big. And now in winter nothing will happen anyway, as sports director Krösche and trainer Oliver Glasner emphasize and credibly assure in unison. High performers should not be given up under any circumstances.
But maybe backbenchers? In the internal training game on Friday, four players were initially left out and had to watch: the youngsters Nacho Ferri and Mehdi Loune as well as the convalescent Aurelio Buta – and Lucas Alario, who came from Leverkusen as a top-class player before the season. A pointer?
