Eintracht Frankfurt summer transfers 2022: Die Adler are putting together a serious Champions League squad
Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt will be entering uncharted waters next season when they make their Champions League bow.
For the first time since reaching the 1960 final at Hampden Park in Glasgow — where among the attendees was a young Alex Ferguson — Die Adler are dining at European football’s high table. In preparation Frankfurt, who are keen to avoid becoming whipping boys, have been active in this summer’s transfer window.
As things currently stand the Bundesliga outfit have signed eight new faces, while Jens Petter Hauge and Kristijan Jakic have joined permanently following their respective loan spells at the club last season. And all are looking to become a regular presence in Oliver Glasner’s first team.
So who are they? Let’s take a look.
Find the latest Champions League outright odds for the 2022/2023 season here:
| Club | Sky Bet |
| Manchester City | 2/1 |
| Bayern Munich | 9/2 |
| Arsenal | 11/2 |
| Real Madrid | 11/2 |
| PSG | 11/1 |
| Barcelona | 16/1 |
| Inter Milan | 20/1 |
| Atletico Madrid | 22/1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 33/1 |
| Napoli | 33/1 |
| Real Sociedad | 50/1 |
| RB Leipzig | 66/1 |
You have to be 18+ to gamble. All odds within this article are accurate at the time of writing (12:30, 25/01/2024). GambleAware.
Lucas Alario
From: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: £5.6m
Recruiting from within the Bundesliga has been rare for Eintracht this summer. Argentine marksman Lucas Alario is an exception. The 29-year-old striker had previously bagged 42 goals across 126 league matches for Bayer Leverkusen following a spell at River Plate, where he lifted the Copa Libertadores. A nine-time Argentina international, Alario has faced Frankfurt on nine occasions in the past, registering four goals in that time.
Mario Gotze
From: PSV Eindhoven
Fee: £3.4m
Arguably the most high-profile acquisition. Just when it seemed Mario Gotze’s career was in danger of fizzling out, he somewhat got back on track at Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven, which has attracted the attention of Frankfurt, who ensured the 2014 World Cup winner earned a Bundesliga comeback. To date Gotze, who has penned a three-year deal, has featured across 231 games in Germany’s top division, registering 57 goals and creating 61 more.
Hrvoje Smolcic
From: HNK Rijeka
Fee: £2m
Attack wins games, but defence wins championships. Frankfurt conceded 13 goals en route to Europa League success, while conceding 1.44 goals per game in the Bundesliga last term. It’s no guarantee Croatian centre-back Hrvoje Smolcic — who leaves boyhood club Rijeka — settles into Glasner’s back-three, though certainly an option in what they hope to be another lengthy campaign.
Randal Kolo Muani
From: FC Nantes
Fee: Free
Frankfurt have certainly taken advantage of the free agent market. Even before the 2021/22 season was out, the German side signed French forward Randal Kolo Muani on a pre-contract agreement. He’s since joined up with his new teammates. The former Nantes man managed to strike 23 times for the Ligue 1 outfit across 97 games, including 12 league goals last season.
Jerome Onguene
From: RB Salzburg
Fee: Free
Moving from Red Bull Salzburg to Germany is a path well-trodden with Erling Haaland the most famous recent example. Jerome Onguene, whose deal expired this summer, hasn’t joined Salzburg’s sister club in Leipzig, but he will be hoping to face them during this forthcoming season. Another central defensive option, Onguene previously spent time at Stuttgart on loan but failed to make an appearance for them. He’ll be hoping for a different outcome back in Germany this time.
Aurelio Buta
From: Royal Antwerp
Fee: Free
A Benfica academy graduate, Aurelio Buta never quite made the grade in the Portuguese capital and has since made a name for himself in the Belgian top-flight with Royal Antwerp — and it’s from there he journeys to Frankfurt. Nominally a right-back, Buta’s ability to play as a wing-back makes him an interesting prospect in Glasner’s preferred 3-4-2-1 shape.`
Faride Alidou
From: Hamburg
Fee: Free
Given Hamburg’s recent decline, lined up with his emergence, Faride Alidou hasn’t played a single minute of Bundesliga football. The 21-year-old forward — who can play across the front line — featured across 22 matches in Germany’s second division for Hamburg last term, where he netted two goals and created seven more for his teammates. Having signed a four-year deal, Alidou is one for the future but he’ll be determined to grab any opportunity that comes his way next season.
Marcel Wenig
From: Bayern Munich
Fee: Free
Another signing with the future in mind is Bayern academy star Marcel Wenig, who joins Frankfurt via the Bosman ruling. A central midfielder by trade Wenig, who turned 18 this past May, had played 45 times for Bayern’s various youth teams in all competitions, registering 11 goals and three assists. It’s unlikely that he will immediately be part of Glasner’s plans but stranger things have occurred.
