Eintracht Frankfurt have been a club on the rise in recent years, with smart additions spearheading the way towards silverware. The club themselves have been quite creative in recent years in terms of the players that they have brought in, and this smart business has allowed them to compete on both the domestic and international fronts.
Just last year, Frankfurt put together an impressive run to win the UEFA Europa League, taking down Spanish giants Barcelona along the way. This victory in the final against Rangers further sealed the fact that, while they aren’t the next Real Madrid, they are indeed a burgeoning force both domestically and abroad.
Unfortunately for clubs like Die Adler, success also breeds interest in the club’s players. Their performances have certainly caught the eye of more established clubs, which puts them at the risk of having their talented squad picked away, piece by piece.
In this vein, Frankfurt’s inability to compete financially seems like it will ensure that one if their star players will leave this summer. Japan international Daichi Kamada is out of contract come the end of the season and has been very closely linked to fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
For Dortmund’s part, this is a shrewd piece of business that will come at the cost of Frankfurt, who will not get a transfer fee for the player to reinvest. Reports have begun to circulate that Frankfurt could be on the verge of making their own transfer coup in the form of Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Houssem Aouar. Aouar would be a free transfer in his own right, which, if it comes to fruition, will help mitigate the loss of Kamada in a very economical fashion.
Aouar has since taken to twitter to pour cold water on the rumors, however. In a tweet released on March 1, the midfielder ironically alluded to journalists knowing where he will play next season before he does, a playful yet sobering jape in the direction of those pointing to the deal as “close to completion”.
And yet, while the player has denied the existence of a deal, a move for a player like Aouar makes sense for both the club, and for Aouar himself. Once lauded by many as one of the most talented midfielders in Ligue 1, Aouar has taken a back-seat at his current club. The French midfielder only has 9 appearances this season under his belt; appearances that have yielded a single goal and assist apiece.
Aouar’s situation at Lyon had been deteriorating for some time, but after the player’s potential opportunity to move away from Lyon failed in the last summer transfer window, the player has not featured prominently for his side. It’s clear that the player’s situation does lean towards separation this coming summer, and while the player is still immensely talented, the lack of game-time will likely not make him a first team candidate for most Champions League sides.
That being said, a move to Frankfurt could be a chance for Aouar to reinvent himself. At 24 years old the player still has time to turn his career around, and with Frankfurt, his chances of being one of the key figures in an entertaining side are high. Frankfurt have shown over the last few years that they do have the capability to challenge for silverware, and Aouar can rebuild his image as one of the “main men” pushing Frankfurt to continue their ability to compete.
While the move itself is now clearly in doubt, at face value, it seems like a logical step for club and player. For Aouar, it is a chance to reinvent himself at a club, while not on par with the Real Madrid’s of the world that Aouar is probably used to being linked with, offers him a platform to show his best self once again and make those clubs take notice once again. For Frankfurt, Aouar would fill the void left by Kamada and hopefully, if Aouar were to perform, would allow them to move him on for a substantial fee and continue the process of reinvesting in their squad and finding talent to help them continue growing as a force in the greater football landscape.
GGFN | Brian Szlenk
