Eintracht Frankfurt are heading into a new Bundesliga season under serious pressure after a pre-season collapse exposed deep squad problems that now demand urgent answers in the transfer market. The 0-7 friendly defeat to Brentford on August 15 was the catalyst, laying bare defensive frailty and a goalkeeping situation that coach Adi Hütter can no longer ignore. Neither Kaua Santos, who made another costly error in that game, nor Michael Zetterer has convinced Hütter of his credentials, prompting a sharp reversal from the position Sporting Director Markus Krösche held just weeks earlier, when he insisted no changes to the goalkeeper setup were needed.

The primary target is Freiburg's Noah Atubolu, who has now confirmed he views Frankfurt as his most realistic option after a chaotic summer in which his former agency Epic Sports misled him with false promises of interest from Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Aston Villa. Atubolu split from the agency on August 19. Freiburg are demanding around 15 million euros, and Frankfurt have yet to open formal talks, partly because they have not yet offloaded Santos, whose market value is limited. Hütter confirmed on Wednesday that Santos will start in the DFB-Pokal first-round trip to SC St. Toenis on August 21.

The defensive problems stretch beyond the goal. Hütter wants an experienced centre-back, with Thilo Kehrer of Monaco and free agent Diogo Leite among the names under consideration. Captain Robin Koch was also forced off injured during the Brentford defeat, adding further concern. Frankfurt kick off their Bundesliga campaign at Union Berlin on August 29, leaving Krösche a narrow window to reshape a squad Hütter has already described as not yet meeting his standards.