Eintracht Frankfurt Backs Krösche Amid Power Struggle Rumors
The knives are out in Frankfurt. But not, Eintracht insist, for Markus Krösche.
While one tabloid paints a picture of a sporting chief on the brink, the club’s own leadership is closing ranks around the 45-year-old. According to specialist magazine kicker, whose report is based on extensive background talks with figures at the very top of the hierarchy, neither Krösche nor Eintracht Frankfurt are working towards a separation this summer. Quite the opposite: the sporting CEO is said to enjoy “full backing” from the SGE supervisory board.
That directly contradicts a recent story in Bild, which claimed that the supervisory board meeting on 2 September would be used to discuss how to usher Krösche out of the door ahead of schedule.
Supervisory board chairman and club president Mathias Beck has now pushed back – hard.
“The supervisory board meeting on Wednesday is a regularly scheduled meeting that has been planned for a long time. Naturally, it will cover all the topics of the summer, including sporting matters. I will not comment publicly on reports about Markus Krösche,” Beck told kicker. “The fact is, he has a current contract (until 2028), declared himself clearly committed to Eintracht Frankfurt two months ago and, with his team, is in the final straight of the transfer window. There is therefore no reason to speculate about the future of Markus Krösche.”
Inside Eintracht: “Stink bombs” and bruised egos
Kicker’s conversations behind the scenes paint a curious picture. The dominant feeling within the club about the supposed plan to oust Krösche is said to be “ever-present surprise”. It did not come across as a staged defence or coordinated PR line, but as genuine irritation.
The magazine describes the affair as a potential series of “stink bombs” thrown to “stir up unrest”, driven by the “vanities” of certain individuals. Who exactly is lighting the fuse remains “mysterious” – as does how Bild am Sonntag obtained its information. What is clear: not everyone in and around Eintracht appears to be pulling in the same direction right now.
Lothar Matthäus read it the same way on Sky90 on Sunday evening. “Something is being played behind the scenes here against Markus Krösche because perhaps some people are jealous of him,” Germany’s record international speculated.
Reports of an internal rift between Krösche and coach Adi Hütter, pushed by Bild, also do not hold up under closer inspection, kicker adds. The transfer summer has been turbulent and slow, and the Austrian is anything but thrilled that key squad decisions dragged on until the start of the season. But there has been no major falling-out. Hütter still got two of his preferred signings in goalkeeper Noah Atubolu and centre-back Lilian Brassier.
Transfers, millions and a restless market
On the pitch, Eintracht’s start to the Bundesliga season underlined the fragility of the current moment. A 3-1 lead at Union Berlin evaporated late on; Frankfurt left the capital with only a point and a sense of missed opportunity.
Off the pitch, the club is still deep in the market’s storm.
With Arnau Kalimuendo, there is hope of another loan deal. The forward impressed in the second half of last season during his loan spell from Nottingham, scoring six goals in 19 games for SGE. Kicker reports that a renewed agreement remains on the table.
The outgoing side of the business could be even more dramatic. A move for Hugo Larsson to the Premier League could bring in up to €25 million. The midfielder was recently in London with Eintracht’s blessing to hold talks with two clubs, one of them Crystal Palace.
Jean-Matteo Bahoya was expected to deliver almost €20 million through a transfer to Hull City, but, according to Sport1, the player himself turned the deal down.
Another departure, not originally part of the plan, may yet land on Krösche’s desk in the final hours of the window. Multiple media outlets report that Al-Ittihad are targeting Ritsu Doan, with a move to Saudi Arabia for around €18 million now considered likely.
All of this – potential sales north of €60 million, late incomings, a squad still in flux – formed the backdrop when the Krösche exit rumours suddenly exploded. The timing was striking. Only a few weeks earlier, AC Milan had tried and failed to lure him away from Frankfurt. In June, Krösche gave the Rossoneri his final “no” and, according to kicker, turned down a highly lucrative personal offer in the process. Milan were said to have put €40 million over four years on the table.
From transfer mastermind to Riera backlash
Until last season, Krösche’s standing in Frankfurt bordered on untouchable. Smart squad planning, big-money sales, constant European football – his work since arriving in 2021 had made him one of the most coveted executives in the game.
Then came Albert Riera.
After the dismissal of Dino Toppmöller, Krösche pushed through the appointment of the Spaniard. It backfired spectacularly. Riera alienated fans and players, results collapsed, and Eintracht limped to eighth place. After just 14 matches, the experiment ended in failure.
The consequence was brutal: for the first time in Krösche’s tenure, Eintracht are not playing in Europe this season. The first serious cracks appeared in his previously rock-solid reputation.
So when whispers about an early farewell surfaced in the middle of a messy transfer window, they found fertile ground outside the club – even if those inside insist there is no fire behind the smoke.
Krösche himself refused to fan the flames after the draw in Berlin. Asked about the speculation, he cut the topic off quickly. “We’re talking about football,” he said after the final whistle. When pressed again, he simply asked to “leave it at that”.
The question now is whether the same restraint will hold behind closed doors, as deadline day, big-money decisions and simmering egos collide around a sporting boss who, officially at least, still has Eintracht’s full trust.
