Repeating yourself is usually not Markus Krösche’s thing. The Frankfurt sports director knows how to help himself with words and does not shy away from clear statements or announcements. But on Wednesday evening after the exit from the Champions League (0-2 against Tottenham), the forty-five-year-old stubbornly used two standard sentences so as not to have to show his colors on the crucial question.
Whenever the media group asked specifically about the future Eintracht coach, he said like a mantra: “We are in good discussions. We will announce something when there is something to announce.” Krösche had to grin as he once again emotionlessly uttered his two favorite sentences, which were not very meaningful. At least the sports director explained why there was still no announcement of the completion of the important position almost two weeks after the separation from Dino Toppmöller, although time is of the essence because interim coach Dennis Schmitt and his team had to accept their third defeat in a row.
Markus Krösche: “It’s not always about time”
“We want to sign the coach who is the right coach for Eintracht Frankfurt,” said Krösche. “It’s not always about time, but ultimately about finding the right candidate.” If necessary, every club pursues this goal. The Frankfurters have already found their Mister Right. According to information from the FAZ, Albert Riera is to take over the coaching position at the eighth table in the Bundesliga. From a group of three or four football teachers, the 43-year-old former Spanish international is the preferred candidate.
Mallorca-born Riera, who also has Russian citizenship, led Slovenian giants NK Celje to the UEFA Conference League play-offs this season. The cup winners dominate the domestic Prva League by a large margin; This Sunday (3 p.m.) the front runners will play in Maribor for the top game and the start of the second half of the season. That may be the reason why Eintracht will have to be patient for a few more days. She is said to have long since reached an agreement with Albert Riera himself about a change of club and a contract until July 1, 2028.
Its agreement in Celje is dated until mid-2028. Accordingly, the former football professional from Liverpool FC – where he reached his highest market value of 16 million euros – and Manchester City will be due a transfer fee that is likely to be in the range of between one and three million euros. tranfermarkt.de puts the total market value of the NK Celje squad at 13 million euros. Eintracht’s, on the other hand, is 394 million euros.
The two numbers make it clear how big the leap will be in terms of sport for former winger Albert Riera, who is a relatively unknown football teacher in the dugout. After his signature in Frankfurt – which he will do shortly if nothing unexpected occurs – the 16-time national player, who played the most matches for Espanyol Barcelona in his active career with 94 games, will work as a coach in one of Europe’s top leagues for the first time.
Krösche takes the risk
In this respect, Markus Krösche is taking a not insignificant risk with his probably courageous choice of coach. What makes matters worse is that Eintracht, which is unstable in terms of football, is deep in crisis. “The mood is not good. We have to try to get out of it together,” said offensive player Ansgar Knauff after Frankfurt’s departure from international football. The new coach has to get the team on track quickly.
The English-speaking Riera brings experience from Slovenia – where he also successfully managed NK Olimpija Ljubljana with the championship and cup victory – and France (Girondins Bordeaux in the second division). The father started his coaching career as an assistant at Galatasaray Istanbul under head coaches Fatih Terim and Domenec Torrent. Riera, who is well acquainted with well-known coaches Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, has high standards and a clear idea of how his team should play football.
He prefers offensive football with a dominant appearance and high pressing with a lot of ball possession. Albert Riera, who chooses a clear approach and can motivate, demands discipline and attention to detail from his players. You must be flexible and able to take on multiple positions. Like him, they should appear confident. Albert Riera, who is said to be a workhorse and authoritarian coach with clear principles, but always having an open ear for his players, is known for his temperament. He obviously has a certain willingness to argue.
Opposing coaches and referees have already felt this – especially when things don’t go the way Albert Riera imagined. Some coaches therefore criticized a lack of respect in their interactions with one another. Albert Riera’s style is likely to differ significantly from his predecessor in Frankfurt, Dino Toppmöller. Toppmöller was not a hothead and had his emotions under control. He didn’t have much of a say. Albert Riera will probably not show the closeness that Toppmöller sometimes had with the players. If everything goes as planned, the Spaniard, who was discussed as Slovenia’s national coach, will present himself at Eintracht at the beginning of next week.
Then the Frankfurt team, who will probably be looked after by interim coach Dennis Schmitt for the last time in the home game against Leverkusen this Saturday (3:30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky), would, from their point of view, have got the right candidate. Under the motto: Good things take time. “So it may take a little longer than some people expected,” said Markus Krösche on Wednesday evening about the search for a coach. He only used this sentence once during the question-and-answer game with the journalists.
