Eintracht Frankfurt are navigating one of their most turbulent periods in recent memory, with instability in the boardroom threatening to overshadow a cautious upturn in results on the pitch. The departure of sporting director Markus Krösche, who left at his own request, has left the club scrambling for a replacement. Their preferred candidate, former SGE captain and BSC Young Boys sporting chief Christoph Spycher, turned them down, and reports indicate Marcel Schäfer of RB Leipzig is no longer in the running either. That leaves Joti Chatzialexiou of 1. FC Nürnberg as the frontrunner, with talks already under way, though Nürnberg have publicly denied any contact. A compensation fee in the low single-digit millions would be required to release him from his contract.

On the field, Frankfurt have steadied themselves after a dreadful 0-6 defeat to RB Leipzig earlier in the campaign. Back-to-back wins over Köln and Hamburg in the DFB-Pokal, followed by a 3-1 Bundesliga victory over the same Hamburg side at Deutsche Bank Park, have lifted them to eighth place on 11 points from eight games. Coach Adi Hütter has been publicly demanding more from key players, singling out forward Can Uzun for inconsistency and calling on the squad to raise standards in training.

One bright spot is the emerging profile of Younes Ebnoutalib, who has drawn reported interest from Juventus and Tottenham after six Bundesliga goals this season. Frankfurt travel to Paderborn on 7 November looking to build on their renewed momentum.