Jonathan Burkardt seems to have settled in nicely at Eintracht Frankfurt despite the tough task of replacing Hugo Ekitike.
The former Mainz striker arrived in July following the Frenchman’s £79m transfer to Liverpool. And the Eagles apparently chose his successor well. Only five players scored more Bundesliga goals last season than Ekitike’s 15 – with Burkardt being one of them (18).
Not only did he pick up where Ekitike left off for the Eagles, but also where he left off himself for Mainz. The German has already scored four goals in six league games in the current campaign. But his smooth adaptation goes beyond that.
Why has Jonathan Burkardt worked out so well for Frankfurt thus far?
Mixing styles of play
Mainz used to play a more direct style last season than Frankfurt right now. Burkardt would act as a target man from time to time, but had nowhere near the frequency or quality dropping deep as Ekitike.
He had more touches before, but not always trailing the play or getting closer to midfielders as often as he does now. Most of it is down to Frankfurt being a more ball-dominant and patient side than Mainz were, so he has less space and time to work when he does receive passes.
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The 25-year-old still prefers to play on the last shoulder and get runs in behind, but is already showing capability to do a little bit of what his predecessor did.
This way, the Eagles maintain a somewhat similar style of play as they adjust to having Burkardt on the team. After all, he’s not the only one settling into a new look this year.
And it’s working both ways so far. Frankfurt have a lot of defensive problems, but offensively they’ve been creating basically the same as last season – and scoring even more.
| Eintracht Frankfurt stats | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored per game | 1.9 | 3.0 |
| Big chances per game | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Expected goals per game | 1.8 xG | 1.8 xG |
| Shots per game | 13.8 | 14.2 |
Attacking versatility
Jonathan Burkardt made his Mainz debut in 2018, but played just 12 Bundesliga games across between 18/19 and 19/20. He then spent most of his full campaign in 2020/21 as a right winger.
He can play anywhere in the front three indeed. Either side, up front as a lone striker or in a two-man pairing, like he did at his fomer club alongside Karim Onisiwo. But he exceled leading the line on his own in Mainz’s 3-4-2-1 last year and is doing so again for Frankfurt this term.
Watching Burkardt play, there’s no technical aspect of his game that stands out. He can do a lot of different things like link up play, set teammates up and run with the ball – despite not being truly excellent at neither of them.
A very well-rounded and flexible centre-forward who can shift his game depending on what the team needs.
His one great skill, however, is the most important one in a striker and what Dino Toppmoller has been leaning on since Burkardt’s arrival.
Finishing prowess
The German striker has been in a great goalscoring run for a few years now. He peaked in this department last season with 19 goals in 30 games across all competitions for Mainz. But dating back to the start of the 2023-24 campaign, his numbers remain great: 33 goals in 60 games overall.
The advanced metrics in this span also indicate that overperforming expectations might be a consistent theme throughout his career and not an outlier or “one season wonder” kind of player.
Over 50% shot accuracy and big chance conversion, plus a positive return both on actual vs expected goals and expected goals on target vs his xG.
Key Burkardt stats over the last three seasons:
- 60 games
- 33 goals
- +7.00 xG overperformance
- +1.62 goal probability added (xGOT vs xG)
- 53% big chance conversion
- 52% shot accuracy (excluding blocks)
- 28% goal conversion rate
With six goals in nine games across all competitions so far this season, he looks set to establish a new personal record. Burkardt is scoring 0.83 goals per 90 minutes, more than the 0.76 he managed in 2024-25. He has already picked up a few German national team appearances as well.
Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Jonathan Burkardt in the near future. It also feels like he would be a great Premier League fit someday.
A combative, dynamic striker with very quick reactions who is never standing still, always looking for as much as an inch of space near the opposition goal to get himself free and fire away.
Now, he’s set to meet his predecessor Hugo Ekitike as Eintracht Frankfurt host Liverpool this Wednesday in the Champions League.
The Frenchman has fallen out of favour recently following the sending off vs Southampton, a couple of sitters missed against Galatasaray and Alexander Isak regaining physical form. But facing a former team could be the best way to end a five-game goalscoring drought for club and country.