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Frankfurt jubilation over the win against BVB, in the middle of it all the top stars Kostic and Silva
Photo: Lars Baron / dpa
Eintracht Frankfurt is well on its way to the Champions League.
And that has a lot to do with Filip Kostic: In 2021, the Serb has already scored 17 goals in 14 league games (13 assists, four goals).
In the 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund last weekend, he prepared both goals.
It is hard to imagine that Kostic was still part of the team in 2018 that was relegated for the first time in the history of Hamburger SV.
But he did, and Kostic went down with the chaos.
But that is a long time ago.
Today Kostic stands out because he not only runs fast, but is also excellent at dribbling and plays a lot of key passes.
You could see all of that against BVB.
Kostic is one of the best players in the Bundesliga this year.
But there is seldom one player alone.
The Frankfurt strength is also related to André Silva, who uses the many Kostic passes, has 22 hits and has already shot more than the ongoing topic of conversation Erling Haaland.
And with Daichi Kamada, who directs the offensive and delights the fans in front of the TV, with Makoto Hasebe, who at 37 years old is still holding out his bones.
Or with Stefan Ilsanker, who played an outstanding game against BVB in the defense center in the important victory for the premier class.
Eintracht Frankfurt is currently fourth in the table and is seven points ahead of fifth from Dortmund.
Now you have a "historic chance" of the Champions League, said coach Adi Hütter, there are still seven games to play this season.
The Austrian is another member of the successful Frankfurt team, as is Fredi Bobic, who put together the squad together with head scout Ben Manga and sports director Bruno Hübner.
And this is not only enthusiastic about sport.
The team of officials has developed a team that is also exciting from an economic point of view.
The market values of Kostic, Silva, Kamada and defender Evan N'Dicka have developed enormously since their signing.
There is hardly a player in the Frankfurt squad who would become a losing business if they were sold.
Kostic came in 2018 as a loan player from HSV, later Eintracht signed him for allegedly six million euros - today, his market value is likely to be many times higher.
Eintracht is the club that creates value.
And it's not just transfer values.
Eintracht stands for social values, and the team expresses them publicly: On the anniversary of the most racist attack in Hanau, the Eintracht professionals remembered the victims with T-shirts they wore before the game against FC Bayern.
When Amin Younes made it 2-0, he asked for a t-shirt and held it up.
The t-shirt showed Fatih Saraçoğlu, one of the victims.
“It won't bring the victims back.
But we want family members to know we're thinking of them, ”Younes said.
A goal for Hanau, and an important statement.
A change threatens
It's hard not to like unity.
And you ask yourself: How can you actually want to leave this club?
The most exciting season in club history awaits the Frankfurters with the possible participation in the Champions League, possibly with spectators again in the stadium, if the vaccination campaign has slowed the corona pandemic sufficiently by then.
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Silva on his winning goal against BVB
Photo: LARS BARON / AFP
As good as the development of Eintracht is, it arouses desires: Fredi Bobic already confirmed his departure in the summer, but he is not official yet.
He could be drawn to Hertha BSC, where the international business is finally to be attacked with a lot of money.
Hübner ends in Frankfurt, and Borussia Mönchengladbach should dig to coach Hütter after the departure of Marco Rose.
After the BVB game, Hütter seemed annoyed by the question of whether he could move to another club;
A month ago he said he wanted to stay in Frankfurt.
The sporting perspective has not deteriorated since then.
A change in the squad is more likely than in the coaching bench.
Kostic, 28, and Silva, 25, are in the prime of a footballer's age.
Offers from clubs that may have more appeal than Eintracht Frankfurt await them in the summer.
From clubs that may also pay them more salary.
Maybe from a league that is more exciting than the Bundesliga.
That makes you wonder.
But would leaving Frankfurt be the right decision?
Such a decision is often a matter of luck.
Eintracht, it seems, provides an environment in which players can thrive.
The Kostic case illustrates this, including that of Silva, for him it had been rather mediocre for him at AC Milan and FC Sevilla.
At the end of the 2018/2019 season, the most exciting Frankfurt player was called Luka Jovic.
The then 21-year-old moved to Real Madrid that year - and his career stalled there.
The rest of the story is known: Jovic is currently playing for Eintracht Frankfurt again.
