EEintracht could use people like him now. But the people of Frankfurt still have to be patient. Randal Kolo Muani will only join coach Oliver Glasner’s team in the summer. The man who should reliably score goals. The man who could already be of help to the offensively harmless Eintracht. Provided he scores in the Bundesliga just as reliably as in the French first class, where he will be on the ball with FC Nantes until the end of the season.
So Muani is the man who should own the future at Eintracht. It’s no surprise that he’s coming. Sports director Markus Krösche has been trying to get him for months. On Friday, one day before the away game at relegation candidates Hertha BSC (Saturday, 3.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky), the transfer was reported as completed. The contract that binds the French to Frankfurt runs for five years, until mid-2027.
The now 23-year-old Muani was trained in the offspring of eight-time champions Nantes. He made his Ligue 1 debut at the end of November 2018 and after a loan deal to third-tier side US Boulogne and a return to his home club, the centre-forward made his personal breakthrough in the 2020/2021 season. Ten goals and nine assists in 40 competitive games were the first sustainable proof of his turbulent class.
“Fast, robust, with a very good finish”
He has scored nine goals so far this season. Krösche is hopeful that something will happen with the assertive Frenchman at Eintracht. “Randal Kolo Muani brings skills that we need for our game. He is fast, robust and has a very good shot. In addition, he is tactically variable and can play in several systems, which will give us even more variability in the new season.”
A lot of things should and must improve in the new season. For example, the duel rate. Eintracht is currently in a relegation zone there. The latest numbers are sobering. In the 0-1 draw against Bayern, Frankfurt football professionals only won 38 percent of the duels. Curiously, Eintracht’s run and sprint data are presentable. On average, all coach Glasner’s players run 119 kilometers per game, 246 sprints are also a good value.
Before leaving for the capital for the game against Hertha, Glasner brought up another shortcoming: “Whether someone wants to hear it or not: We simply have physical disadvantages in the infight.” Specifically: His offensive players in particular are too small or too tight slight. There were several moments against Bayern when the beefy Niklas Süle kept Rafael Borré and Jesper Lindström at a distance with physical robustness. So that has to get better too. Not to mention the permanent misery goal completion.
