Markus Krochet shows off his coolness in the Valencia heat by appearing in the hotel lobby in a crisp white shirt. Eintracht Frankfurt, who have just returned from a 12-day tour of the United States, are in Spain for another pre-season friendly. They must be very busy.
The club's sporting director insists otherwise. “It's been really calm this year,” he says. Sky Sports. He compares the move to that of Randal Kolo Mouanyi when he was sold to Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day last summer for a club-record fee of £76m.
Their business is more stable. “We have done too many transfers in the last two transfer windows.” But PSG came calling again early this summer, offering £38m for Willian Pazzo. Eintracht have five times the amount they paid for a player they signed a year ago.
Willian Pacio was sold to Paris Saint-Germain after one season at Eintracht Frankfurt.
“I call them end clubs,” said Crochet. He named PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham as among them. “We are the middle club that sells to the end clubs.” No disappointing. In fact, that is their plan.
“Pacho is an example of how it works,” he explains. “The player has developed and we have helped him develop. We have helped him take the next step in his career. That is what we wanted to achieve.” And what happens now? “We are trying to find other players like Pacho.”
Eintracht have quickly become masters of the market when it comes to doing just that, and with their buying and selling in recent transfer windows, Krosche has earned himself a reputation as one of the best sporting directors in Europe, having been linked with moves to Liverpool and Tottenham himself.
“It was always my plan to become a coach,” he says. But a call from the chairman of his hometown club Paderborn in 2017 changed that. He helped the club win back-to-back promotions before replacing Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig. “And now I’m here.”
With Oliver Glasner in charge, Eintracht won the Europa League in Krosche's first full season, but there were issues looming on the horizon for the sporting director to address – the team was one of the oldest in the Bundesliga.
“That was the most important part when I first started. The average age was 29. Now the average age is 23. It's a big change. Of course, you need experienced players. But on the other hand, you need young prospects who you can help develop.”
As a result, just two years after winning European glory with Sevilla, only three of the starting line-up from that win over Rangers remain. Twelve first-team signings arrived last summer and several more arrived during the winter transfer window. It seems like a gamble.
“It's risky to do it fast, but sometimes you have to take that risk. We've had success, but we're getting to a point where it's better to make a clean break. We lost a lot of experience last summer, but we're not afraid of that. That's what's led us to where we are now.”
The team is full of exciting prospects. Hugo Ekitike, still only 22, came from PSG in a different way, but others have shown the model better. They are rising stars with a point to prove. Hugo Larsson, 20, signed from Malmo. Fares Chaibi, 21, signed from Toulouse.
It’s a versatile squad, as befits a city like Frankfurt, but Crochet’s message is that they’re not just thrown together, they’re meticulously assembled. “There’s emotion and luck, but the basis of our scouting is data,” he explains.
“For example, if we need a central defender who is 1.9m tall, left-footed, under 24 years old and has a market value of under €5m, we can do that with one click. We will then get about 25 profiles. From there, we start the video scouting process.
“We watch at least 10 games. We study how they play against deep teams, how they build up against attacking teams, how they cope under pressure. We watch them against quick strikers and tall strikers. The last film is 20 minutes long.
“We also do a five-minute 'weapon clip.' We call it a weapon clip because it focuses on the weapon, the strength of the player. The scout has to be able to show that strength in five minutes. Weaknesses don't matter at that stage.
“Through that process, we go from 25 players down to eight, which takes about 10 days. Then we do live scouting. For 10 weeks, we watch those eight players and cross-reference reports with all the other scouts to get a clear opinion on the player.”
Within 12 weeks, they will be in a position to push for a deal. If this process were to happen during the transfer window, it would be too long. But Eintracht’s advantage is that they tend to work a year ahead. “We have to get into the market really early,” explains Crochet.
Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson has been signed from Swedish side Malmo.
“We have to be better than everyone else because we can't afford to make mistakes. We have to be faster and more efficient. So by October we have a clear idea of who we want to sign next summer. That's a big advantage because other clubs aren't in the market at that time.
“I was really impressed because players usually expect interest to come in April or May. We can use this time to convince players to join us. We can explain our ideas and how we want to improve their weaknesses to help them become top players.”
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Watch Sir Alex Ferguson become a lifelong member of Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht want to use every advantage they can to find an edge, including one of the busiest airports in the world. Crochet is literally the most well-connected sports director. “It’s easy to get here. That’s why so many decision-makers come to our games.”
The club has seized commercial opportunities, hosted NFL games and boasts a huge following, as evidenced by the incursion into Barcelona when the Camp Nou was transformed by Eintracht supporters in 2022. This was a huge blow for Barcelona.
But Crochet sees clarity in their playing model as key. “Our biggest advantage is that we know what type of football we want to play, so we know what we’re looking for. We want to defend high, build up under pressure and have solutions to defend deep.”
He added: “Monetising transfers is a really important part of our success and to do that you need a clear philosophy. Once you define how you want to play, you can hire people to implement that philosophy and stick to it.”
Dino Topmoeller was named as the manager who delivered last season, having made a name for himself as Julian Nagelsmann's assistant at Bayern Munich. A sixth-place finish was enough to secure European football. “It's a stage where young players can create value.”
But the delivery method was criticised by Crochet in the spring. Ultimately, those final clubs are looking for a particular style of play. “It wasn't easy for the coach because there were a lot of young players coming in,” he now admits.
“This season is different. There are not so many changes. The players know each other. They have had time to adapt and they just have to focus on their performance. We expect them to play better football and score more goals. That's what I want to see.”
All of this raises the question of what exactly Eintracht Frankfurt's ultimate goal is. Their model is already generating more money than they can afford to spend on the squad. “We can't spend it all on the team. It doesn't make sense.”
They already have a world-class stadium and have spent £35m on their training facilities in 2021. “We invest heavily in the medical department, the mental coaches, the nutrition experts, the sleep experts, the performance coaches. You cover everything to develop young players.”
Even the backroom staff have to pay a price. Earlier this year, Brighton and Hove Albion reportedly paid a six-figure fee to pry Eintracht medical director Florian Pfab away. “It was a good deal,” Krosche says with a smile. “He’s a really good doctor.”
Saturday, August 24th at 5:20pm
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But there is a hint of resignation here. It is still too difficult to compete with Bayern Munich and other teams. If they spend too much, they risk damaging themselves in the long run. Kroche mentions Schalke as a club that has paid the price for its ambition.
“It's really hard to get into the top four. The budget gap is huge. If we play in the Champions League for two or three seasons, we can close the gap. But fifth or sixth is more realistic.” For now, their view is that they can only do what they are given.
And play better than the rest.
“It's football, not war,” Crochet concluded. “It's a game. Selling players is just part of my job. That's why young players come to Frankfurt.” With that in mind, how would he feel if he got a call again on transfer deadline day about one of his star players? “Me? Relaxed.”
Watch Borussia Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt live on Sky Sports Football this Saturday, kick-off at 5.30pm.
