dFrankfurt Eintracht has a contract with the sporting director valid until 2025 Markus Krösche extended early by three years until July 1, 2028. Philip Holzer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, commented on this decision at a joint press conference: “Markus Krösche is exactly the right man to continue the path that we took three years ago.
In June 2021, Holzer and his supervisory board appointed Krösche, who had recently terminated his contract as sporting director of RB Leipzig, as successor. Fredy Bobic tidy. The strategy was to reach international competitions as often as possible with a young and viable team. “We had set goals that we all achieved together and in some cases surpassed. It was not planned to participate in the Champions League in the second year and reach the round of 16,” Krösche said on Tuesday on the podium of Eintracht's professional training camp.
The 43-year-old from Lower Saxony mentioned the prerequisite for continuing collaboration: successes. The fact that he did not look for a more prominent club, despite the fact that interest in him had been indicated, has to do with the general conditions of his work in Frankfurt. Krösche can work in the Main with plenty of legroom. “Markus has a lot of freedom to make decisions because we trust him a lot. “The way he can work here means that he will continue to work here for a long time,” Holzer said of Eintracht's appeal, adding: “Markus Krösche is also in harmony with the board, which was also the basis for the decision”.
Sporting director Krösche said they came to the conclusion relatively quickly that they would continue together, while supervisory board chairman Holzer described the negotiations as quite intense, lasting between six and eight weeks. The main committee of the supervisory board took part with Holzer, Stephen Orenstein and Eintracht president Mathias Beck.
No information was provided on any details of the contract beyond its validity, neither on performance bonuses nor on exit clauses. However, it can be assumed that Krösche will receive a salary increase.
Holzer hopes that the contract extension with the sporting director will give him a boost to defend his current sixth position in the standings, which will allow him to participate again. European Cup justified. “After the big shock, at the start of the season we would have immediately signed for sixth place in the Bundesliga,” explained the chairman of the supervisory board, putting the fans' current discontent with the team's performance into perspective. “The supervisory board evaluates things in the long term; we have one of the youngest and most exciting teams in the league.”
Krösche also considers the current situation harmless: “It is a normal process that the young team still lacks consistency, sometimes even within a match, when I look at both halves against Union Berlin on Saturday.” Both Holzer and Krösche compare Eintracht's situation with that of Arsenal London after the change of coach to the Spanish Arteta and the paradigm shift towards a team with ball possession. “In the transition phase we dropped to 17th place, now they are playing along with us Liverpool and Manchester City for the championship,” Holzer said.
Neither the supervisory board nor the sports director dream of winning the championship; The distance with the big four, Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen and Leipzig, is too great. “We want to participate in an international competition every year and maybe finish in the top four. “This is ambitious,” says Krösche. Holzer says his goal is: “First, stabilize positions five through eight.”