Despite Losing Key Assets The Club Continues To Move Forward

Thanks to their 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt has earned a final in the Champions League. The Eagles now have destiny in their own hands when they face Sporting on matchday 6 of the Champions League in what will be a do-or-die fixture.

“It was a very good team performance, including from those who came on as subs,” Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner said after the game. “I’m incredibly proud to be coach of a team with so much character. The fans were also there to help us during some of the tougher parts of the match. It was a great Champions League night, and I hope it won’t be the last one we get to enjoy this season.”

But for Frankfurt to get to this point is truly remarkable after another summer when key players left the Europa League winners. Two key players, winger Filip Kostic, sold for $14 million to Juventus, and center-back Martin Hinteregger—surprise retirement—both left the club.

Kostic’s departure, in particular, was hard to take. In his four full seasons for Frankfurt, the Serbian scored 33 goals and 64 assists in 172 games across all competitions. After winning the Europa League, Kostic wanted a new challenge and will now most likely continue the season with Juventus in the Europa League.

Frankfurt, in the meantime, is still with a big chance to advance to the next round thanks to an ability to rebuild the squad with relatively little means. For years the club has avoided making a step back despite losing key assets.

Whether it was head coach Niko Kovic after the DFB Pokal victory, his successor Adi Hütter and sporting director Fredi Bobic—he was the first to start a process of making the club better despite losing talent—after deep runs in Europe and strong seasons in the Bundesliga, the club always found replacements on the bench and among the leadership. Current head coach Oliver Glasner and Markus Krösche guided the club to the Europa League title and the Champions League last season.

The club has also demonstrated an ability to find cheap talent whenever stars leave the club. Frankfurt did not make a step back when star strikers Sébastien Haller, Ante Rebić, and Luka Jović left. André Silva came in ahead of the 2020/21 season and quickly became one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga.

One year later, Silva, too, was sold, joining RB Leipzig in 2021. Frankfurt went out and bought Jesper Lindstrøm and Rafael Borré to fill the void. Finishing 11th in the Bundesliga, Frankfurt would qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League at the end of a long 2021/22 season.

This time Kostic would leave, but Krösche and Glasner had a plan. Mario Götze was bought for relatively little money from PSV, and the attacking midfielder has since made a case to return to the national team. Lindstrøm has made the next step in his development, and Randal Kolo Muani signed on a free transfer from FC Nantes, is one of the most exciting forwards in Europe. All that was accomplished for less than $30 million.

What underlines this summer’s transfer dealings is also that Frankfurt is now at a status where the club is not just signing to replace stars but develop depth. Faride Alidou (from HSV), Junior Dina Ebimbe (PSG) and Luca Pellegrini (on loan from Juventus) are players that give Glasner not just options from the bench but also promise to develop into stars.

Krösche and Glasner are thinking ahead, they know that the likes of Kolo Muani could soon move on for big money. In that case Frankfurt will be ready to make the next step despite losing a key player. It is a strong recipe and one that could lead the club to become a consistent top four club in the Bundesliga and perhaps a title challenger in Europe.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth