Eintracht Frankfurt Finalizes Deals: New Players and Upcoming Transfers

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As of: January 7, 2024, 5:17 a.m

By: Ingo Durstewitz

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Sasa Kalajdzic im Trikot der Wolverhampton Wanderers. © Daniel Chesterton / Imago Images

Eintracht Frankfurt finalizes the first deals: Wolves center forward is on loan, there is great interest in the PSG attacker – and defender Amenda comes from Bern

The commitment, which will go down in the history of Eintracht Frankfurt as one of the biggest misunderstandings in recent memory, is over. Irretrievable. Lucas Alario is leaving the Hessian Bundesliga club with immediate effect and is joining the Brazilian first division club Inter Porto Alegre.

The South Americans are even digging relatively deep into their pockets for the luckless striker. The deal brings Eintracht two million euros plus bonuses. That’s not bad for someone who has a poor record in Frankfurt: 26 competitive games, two starting eleven appearances, two goals. The Argentine wasn’t in the squad once this season. That’s what you call a flop. At least Eintracht is removing a high earner from the payroll, the 31-year-old received a good two million euros, and the ex-Leverkusen player cost five million euros in 2022. Now he has been farewelled in a sparse eight-line press release. The emotionless end of a messed up relationship.

Another attacker is expected in Frankfurt very soon, and he carries some hope on his narrow shoulders: Sasa Kalajdzic from Wolverhampton Wanderers will sign a contract with Eintracht this weekend or at the beginning of the week at the latest. The Austrian international will initially move to the city forest on loan for six months.

No purchase option for Eintracht Frankfurt

What happens next is unclear. The contract will not contain an explicit purchase option. The future of the two-meter giant beyond the summer will largely depend on its performance over the next six months. After that, a lot is conceivable: a permanent move to Frankfurt with a freely negotiable transfer fee, a return to Wolves or a transfer to another club. It’s up to Kalajdzic himself, he has it in his feet and – given his size – also on his head.

The center forward, who was never able to gain a foothold in England due to a torn cruciate ligament in his first game in September 2022, is considered an instinctive footballer, unconventional, someone who has a good feel for the areas where goals are dangerous. He learned a lot of things himself and had to learn them because he never had a traditional training in a football academy. And he has had to endure many setbacks at a young age: two cruciate ligament tears, a metatarsal fracture, a syndesmotic ligament tear and a serious shoulder injury. So far he has always gotten up.

He experienced his best time at VfB Stuttgart, in the 2020/21 Corona season he scored 16 goals and set up six more. After this season at the latest, he was considered a hot commodity, hunted by half of Europe. But he only moved to the island a year later and the Wolves shelled out 18 million. An investment that shouldn’t pay off. The Viennese missed the first year entirely due to a serious knee injury. In the current season he has made eleven appearances, only one from the start, but scored two important goals that led to two wins.

Kalajdzic is in full swing and in top shape – that is of crucial importance for Eintracht, because the attacker is in demand as immediate help and should work immediately. He is already scheduled for the first league game in Leipzig in a week.

That doesn’t apply to Hugo Ekitiké. It is unclear whether the French striker will even come to Frankfurt. What is clear, however, is that Eintracht is very interested in signing the 21-year-old attacker from Paris Saint-Germain. Already in the summer they were courting the fast man, who is a completely different type of player than Kalajdzic, namely not a wall striker, but someone who attacks deep and is extremely quick on his feet. His style of play reminds us a bit of the Eintracht high-flyer Randal Kolo Muani, who moved to Paris.

Ekitiké celebrated as storm jewel

The player who was trained in Reims and was born there was not long ago considered one of France’s greatest talents, a storm jewel. PSG made the commitment cost a lot, paying almost 30 million to Stade Reims in 2022. But the breakthrough was denied to the 1.89 meter tall right-footer. Things are going terribly miserable for him this season. Only one appearance is booked, on the first match day for eight minutes. Since then he has been sitting out and has not been in the squad for the past 21 competitive games. Someone like that can hardly be a direct helper; he would certainly need time to find his feet.

Ekitiké would be an investment in the future; sports director Markus Krösche is considered a big fan of the player, whom he tried to recruit in the summer. But at that time PSG demanded more than 30 million euros, and the player was also not prepared to make any major cuts from his 7.5 million euro salary. As you can hear, things would be different now. After six months as a marginal figure, the suffering increases.

The Frankfurters have competition from the Bundesliga in their efforts to get the player, VfL Wolfsburg with ex-Eintracht coach Niko Kovac is looking for a striker with more depth as a counterpart to striker Jonas Wind – and the Lower Saxony team have also landed on Ekitiké. VfL would have more financial strength, Eintracht’s appeal, the hype surrounding the club and the location itself speak for themselves.

In demand, not only in Frankfurt: Hugo Ekitiké (left). © IMAGO/AFLOSPORT

One thing is also certain: Central defender Aurele Amenda comes from Young Boys Bern. The 20-year-old is expected to cost eight to ten million euros and is considered a great talent in Switzerland. The 1.97 meter edge, who will sign a contract until 2028 (plus an option for another year), should start now in the winter and be able to develop in peace until the summer.

This could mean the end of Hrvoje Smolcic’s time in Frankfurt. And Eintracht is thinking about loan deals for Paxten Aaronson and Jessic Ngankam. But something will probably only happen towards the end of the transfer period, if at all. (dur)

2024-01-07 04:17:00
#Kalajdzic #coming #Ekitiké