Eintracht Frankfurt are building momentum under returning manager Adi Hütter, whose arrival has quickly reshaped the club's direction after a turbulent 2025/26 campaign. Hütter, who previously managed the club between 2018 and 2021, was brought in after the sacking of Dino Toppmöller and the subsequent short-lived tenure of Albert Riera, who averaged just 1.21 points per game across 14 matches before departing at the end of the season.

One of Hütter's first clear statements of intent concerns right-back Elias Baum. Despite reported interest from Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV, Hütter has made plain that the 20-year-old academy product is not for sale. "He bleibt hier," the Austrian said after Frankfurt's 1-0 friendly win at Waldhof Mannheim on August 1, a result in which Baum provided the assist for Jonathan Burkardt's winner. The backing is significant given Baum managed just 71 minutes across five appearances last season, hampered by injury and frozen out under both previous managers. Hütter has started him at right-back in every pre-season fixture and sees his energy and directness as a natural fit for his preferred four-man defensive structure.

The Riera fallout has also surfaced publicly. Mario Götze, who lost his starting place under the Spaniard, responded to Riera's comments by telling Bild that the two barely communicated, calling last season "the craziest of my entire career." Götze stopped short of placing all blame on Riera, urging everyone at the club to reflect on their own performance.

Frankfurt begin their competitive season on August 21 in the DFB-Pokal, with the Bundesliga campaign opening at Union Berlin eight days later. The club will not feature in European competition this season, their first absence from European football in six years.