The biggest story at Eintracht Frankfurt right now has nothing to do with what happens on the pitch. Sporting director Markus Krösche resigned with immediate effect on Sunday evening, bringing an abrupt end to a five-year tenure that included the Europa League triumph of 2022 and two Champions League qualifications. The club confirmed his departure followed weeks of private talks with supervisory board chairman Mathias Beck, and that Axel Hellmann has been elevated to chief executive. Reports linking Krösche to AC Milan emerged almost immediately after the announcement, with transfer insider Matteo Moretto writing that intensive negotiations had already taken place and that the two parties were close to an agreement.

The exit lands at a turbulent moment for the club. Frankfurt endured a disastrous run earlier in the campaign, culminating in a 0:6 collapse at RB Leipzig that prompted coach Adi Hütter to publicly criticise captain Robin Koch before later reaffirming his confidence in the defender. A 1:0 home win over Cologne on matchday six, settled by a Younes Ebnoutalib goal in the 77th minute, steadied the mood slightly and lifted the side to eleventh in the Bundesliga table with eight points from six games.

The search for a new sporting director is already under way, with names including Joti Chatzialexiou and former Frankfurt player Christoph Spycher mentioned as candidates. How quickly the club resolves that situation will shape the direction of the season. Next up is a trip to Borussia Dortmund on 24 October, a testing away fixture that arrives with the club still finding its feet both on and off the field.