Eintracht Frankfurt's most pressing challenge right now is not on the pitch but in the boardroom. The club is searching for a new sporting director after Markus Krösche departed at his own request, ending a three-year stint that included the 2022 Europa League triumph. The process has already hit turbulence. Former SGE captain Christoph Spycher, the initial frontrunner, turned down the role, and Marcel Schäfer of RB Leipzig has also dropped out of contention. That leaves Joti Chatzialexiou of 1. FC Nürnberg as the clear leading candidate, with talks already held at senior level. A compensation fee in the low single-digit millions would be required to release him from his contract, though Nürnberg have denied any approach.

On the field, results have been mixed but not without encouragement. Frankfurt beat Hamburger SV 3-1 in the DFB-Pokal second round, a competition that carries extra weight this season given the club's absence from European football for the first time in six years. Adi Hütter has been direct in his public messaging, calling out individuals including Can Uzun for inconsistency in training and attitude, while also praising Robin Koch's response to earlier criticism. The squad sits 14th in the Bundesliga on eight points from seven games. A home match against Hamburger SV on 1 November offers the chance to build momentum, with teenager Niko Ilicevic potentially in line to make history as the youngest player ever to appear in the Bundesliga.