Europa League – Football: Eintracht Frankfurt as a role model for traditional clubs

Inevitably, Eintracht Frankfurt footballers are increasingly coming to the training pitch wearing gloves and hats these days. It has become uncomfortable in the city forest, where the leaves are falling from the trees and the sun is no longer visible. That’s why the home game in the Europa League against Slavia Prague this Thursday comes at just the right time – when the red-lit arena illustrates the contrast to gloomy autumn days.

Games like those against the league leaders from the Czech Republic, which were received with a lot of respect, are worth their weight in gold for marketing and image. No German club has benefited from the international stage in recent times as much as Eintracht in order to leave the gray area of ​​the Bundesliga. In the most recent annual report, the Hessians reported record sales of 390 million euros. The multi-branch association with its 144,000 members quickly escaped the middle class. “We have proven over the last ten years that the Bundesliga is not cemented,” said new CFO Julien Zamberk at the beginning of the week.

Frankfurt growth course

Eintracht’s long-time boss Heribert Bruchhagen, who managed an important consolidation phase for the previously often moody diva at the beginning of the millennium, always argued with the “cemented table” in order to combat excessive expectations. The Frankfurt team conceded this thesis with the DFB Cup victory in 2018 and the Europa League triumph in 2022. Since then, the club has been on a growth path in economic, sporting and administrative areas.

“We have done a lot of things right,” said Supervisory Board Chairman Mathias Beck at the press conference. President Peter Fischer’s successor said: “When you see which traditional clubs play in the second division, you can be damn proud of what Eintracht Frankfurt has achieved.” They see themselves as a beacon with a role model for those clubs that come from history bring great radiance. What was not possible in Cologne, Hamburg or Gelsenkirchen was achieved in Frankfurt: to be at the forefront in a first-class manner.

Increased personnel costs

But success also comes at a price: personnel expenses rose by almost 20 percent to 141 million euros. Despite strengthening equity, additional money is needed, which may come in through share sales, whereby the club must hold at least 60 percent of the shares in Fußball AG, currently 67.89 percent. “We want to position ourselves economically so that we can decide at the optimal strategic time when we want to buy or sell someone,” explained Zamberk, who was involved in all strategic decisions in the past.

Without taking part in the Europa League, the difference player Omar Marmoush would probably have had to be sold in the summer “in the interest of economic efficiency”, but in retrospect it was the best decision “not to have done that”. True: The 25-year-old offensive player is the high-flyer of the season, and FC Bayern are now supposed to be keeping an eye on the Egyptian. This can lead to a situation where you don’t want to give up the player, but “the market doesn’t allow it any other way,” as Zamberk puts it.

Invigorating competition

When Paris St. Germain made an offer of 95 million euros for striker Randal Kolo Muani in 2023, they could no longer refuse Eintracht, who reported 143 million euros in transfer proceeds last season. Money that is increasingly being invested in promising talents. Coach Dino Toppmöller has recently placed greater trust in the young wild ones like Can Uzun, Nnamdi Collins, Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Nathaniel Brown, who was not registered for the Europa League: “It’s totally invigorating for the competition. I’m really happy for the boys.”

Long-term contracts for talent are part of sports director Markus Krösche’s transfer strategy. Its sophisticated scouting is praised at all levels, especially since, according to Zamberk, there is agreement at board level to “invest in player values.” The squad’s value is now estimated at 300 million euros. With an average age of 24.79 years, the youngest team in the Bundesliga is currently storming under the sign of the eagle.

Many believe that this unity will play a similar role to that of VfB Stuttgart. Fittingly, after the home game against Prague, the current third team will test their strength against the previous season’s runner-up on Sunday.