Eintracht Frankfurt have signed defensive midfielder Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge and confirmed that right-back Elias Baum will remain at the club, as head coach Adi Hütter laid out plans to cut his squad significantly ahead of the new Bundesliga season.
The 25-year-old Nigerian international joined from the Belgian champions on a contract running until 2031. Reports put the transfer fee at nine million euros, with additional bonus payments possible.
Sports director Markus Krösche said Onyedika convinced the club not only with his physicality and strategic reading of the game but above all through what he described as exceptional consistency.
Onyedika told the club's own media that Eintracht was a great club he had followed closely in recent years, that Frankfurt was the right place for him to continue developing, and that he was promising supporters 100 percent effort.
Hütter Targets Squad of 22 or 23
Following a nine-day training camp in Grassau in Bavaria, Hütter said the squad needed to be significantly reduced. He said he did not want a 30-man roster and that names would have to be struck from the list, adding it was neither simple nor pleasant. He is aiming for a group of 22 or 23 outfield players.
Michy Batshuayi, Noel Futkeu and Jessic Ngankam, who were restricted to the club's under-21 side during the most recent session, are regarded as the primary candidates to leave. Niels Nkounkou, Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Junior Dina Ebimbe could also be moved on.
Mendy Deal Falls Through
Frankfurt also missed out on a priority transfer target. Nobel Mendy, a 21-year-old centre-back at Rayo Vallecano who was identified as a key objective for Hütter, appears set to join upcoming preseason opponents Hull City instead. Multiple media reports suggested the English club would pay around 20 million euros plus bonuses.
Hütter said after the Mannheim test match that there had to be a limit somewhere. He said that if a fee of that size was on the table for a centre-back, Frankfurt could not and would not compete for the player.
Baum Rewarded After Difficult Season
Baum, 20, has been given a second chance after a campaign in which he made only five brief appearances for the first team. Hütter confirmed after Saturday's 1-0 win over third-division Waldhof Mannheim that the right-back would remain part of the squad for the coming season.
The coach said he had heard a great deal of positive things about Baum and that a young player from the club's own academy deserved an opportunity if he had the quality. Hütter said Baum did have that quality, and also described him as dynamic. Baum had set up Jonathan Burkardt's 51st-minute winner in that match and said afterwards that providing such an assist naturally gave a player confidence.
Three From Three in Preseason
The victory over Mannheim was Frankfurt's third successive preseason win. A sluggish first half reflected the toll of the training camp, with Hütter later acknowledging the players looked like they were running on empty. The second half produced more chances, with Burkardt, Junior Dina Ebimbe and Love Arrhov all failing to convert before the final whistle.
Hütter said he was broadly satisfied with the test overall but pointed to goalscoring as an area requiring improvement given the number of chances squandered. He added that he was pleased to see players attempting to put into practice what had been worked on during the camp.
Larsson Commits, Götze Responds to Riera
Swedish midfielder Hugo Larsson, who had been linked with a summer departure after a difficult season, said he was very happy at the club, that his girlfriend also loved Frankfurt, and that he had no plans to leave. Larsson said the squad wanted to make up for the previous season's disappointments and that nobody at the club shied away from saying they wanted to return to European competition.
Mario Götze, meanwhile, responded to comments from former Frankfurt coach Albert Riera, who had said that Götze could not simply do as he wished despite his status as a leader and a World Cup winner. Götze, speaking to the Bild newspaper, called Riera's choice of words interesting, noting that such a characterisation would presuppose they had spoken frequently or knew each other well. He said that had simply not been the case. Götze had featured in Riera's starting lineup early in the former coach's tenure but faded from the picture over time despite having signed a contract extension.
