Eintracht Frankfurt head into the new Bundesliga season carrying a hangover from pre-season, and the numbers make uncomfortable reading. A 7-0 defeat to Premier League side Brentford in their final pre-season friendly is not the confidence-building send-off new coach Adi Hütter would have wanted, with the DFB-Pokal first-round trip to lower-league SC St. Toenis now arriving on August 21 as the first real test of where this squad actually stands.

The rebuild around Hütter is still very much a work in progress. According to reports from Bild, the Austrian wants two more signings, one in defence and one in attack, describing the current group as too quiet and lacking leadership. Bosnian international Ermedin Demirovic of VfB Stuttgart has been linked, but the forward has made clear he has no desire to leave. Arnaud Kalimuendo, on loan from Nottingham Forest last season, remains a more realistic option, though his fee is expected to exceed 20 million euros. Several forwards including Elye Wahi, Jessic Ngankam, Michy Batshuayi and Noel Futkeu are all expected to leave before the window closes.

Off the pitch, the shadow of last season lingers. Former coach Albert Riera, who won just four of 14 games after replacing Dino Toppmöller in February before being dismissed, has reportedly agreed a two-year deal at Red Star Belgrade. His acrimonious exit, which included a public Instagram attack on club CEO Axel Hellmann, drew a line under a difficult chapter. Frankfurt also begin this campaign without European football for the first time in six years, adding extra pressure on Hütter to deliver a strong domestic start.