Can Frankfurt Keep Its $24.2 Million Asset?

It was not meant to be for Daichi Kamada and Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday evening. The Eagles lost 2-1 to hosts Borussia Dortmund thanks to goals by Julian Brandt (21’) and Jude Bellingham (52’). Kamada was the only scorer for Frankfurt (26’).

The equalizer by Kamada was the 26-year-old’s seventh Bundesliga game in just 11 games this season. Across all competitions, the Japanese national team player has scored 11 goals and three assists in 18 games.

Kamada is a big reason why Frankfurt is still within a shout of the Bundesliga top four and can reach the Champions League round of 16 when they face Sporting next Tuesday. Against Dortmund, Kamada was the best player on the pitch; he completed 88% of his 84 passes, had 98 touches, and played 11 passes into the final third. His goal was a beauty of an xGOT of 0.24.

Moments of brilliance are what have made Kamada an outstanding player for Frankfurt all season. The trouble is, the attacking midfielder, who has formed a brilliant partnership with Mario Götze, will be out of contract at the end of the season.

Naturally, Frankfurt wants to keep the $24.2 million rated playmaker. But hanging on to Kamada could be difficult. The midfielder wanted to leave last summer and had an offer from Benfica that Frankfurt rejected.

“I told him he will stay,” goalkeeper Kevin Trapp said at the time. “We have to pay attention that we don’t sell any player. We need quality for the Champions League and in the Bundesliga.” Trapp was speaking with some authority on the matter after he rejected a lucrative offer from Premier League side Manchester United.

Since the transfer no, Frankfurt has started to work on extending Kamada’s deal. “Both have an offer from us,” director of sport Markus Krösche said when asked by Sport Bild about the negotiations with Kamada and Evan N’Dicka. “We told both that we would like to keep working with them and that they are crucial players for us in the future. Now we will have to await their response.”

In both cases, the response has been radio silence. Kamada, in the meantime, is aware of his value as he has the offer from Benfica is still on the table. Premier League teams like Everton are also interested and recent performances like the one against Dortmund will only increase the numbers of suitors, also within Germany.

Then there is the World Cup. Kamada certainly will play a major role for his country and playing in a group with Germany and Spain will only increase his market value further.

A difficult situation for Frankfurt overall. But the Eagles will have some good arguments themselves. Eintracht could very well return to the Champions League next season and with the city hosting the European Championships in 2024 the club is building towards a special future.

Ultimately, however, there are also some market realities to consider. Frankfurt is still a stepping stone club for many top players on their way up on the pyramid. Thankfully, in Krösche the club has a director of sport with an eye on the market always for the lookout for the next Kamada.

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