Most European clubs adopt a common strategy where they aim to identify and acquire young talent early to develop them into valuable assets, subsequently selling them for substantial profits to maintain competitiveness and generate revenue for the club. However, what differentiates these clubs is their execution of this strategy.
Reviewing transfer profits over the past decade, no club appears to have executed this strategy more effectively than Eintracht Frankfurt. In the last six years, they have completed transfer deals involving Randall Kolo Muani, Omar Marmoush, and Hugo Ekitike, which have netted them no less than €363 million, positioning them as one of the biggest challengers to Bayern Munich’s dominance in the German Bundesliga.
At the core of this progress is Markus Krosche, the sporting director of Frankfurt, who joined the club four years ago fromRB Leipzig.
Under his guidance, the club secured the UEFA Europa League title in 2022, reached the Champions League Round of 16, advanced to the DFB-Pokal final in 2023, and finished third in the Bundesliga last season, ensuring a return to Europe’s premier competition.
Off the field, Krosche has garnered acclaim for his strategic player recruitment. His emphasis on data-driven scouting, coupled with his readiness to let players move on when they are prepared to take the next step in their careers, has led to a succession of attracting talented players who see Frankfurt as a stepping stone to larger clubs.
Even before his arrival, former German international striker Fredi Bobic had initiated the first steps toward establishing Eintracht Frankfurt's profitable transfer philosophy with promising outcomes, but Krosche has advanced that development further.
A summary of Frankfurt's most profitable transfers over the past eight years:
Hugo Ekitike, acquired from PSG (in April 2024) for €16.5 million, was sold to Liverpool for €95 million (July 2025)
Omar Marmoush, acquired from Wolfsburg (May 2023) on a free transfer, was sold to Manchester City for €75 million (January 2025)
Randal Kolo Muani, acquired from Nantes (March 2022) on a free transfer, was sold to PSG for €85 million (January 2023)
Willian Pacho, acquired from Royal Antwerp (January 2023) for €13.5 million, was sold to PSG for €40 million (August 2024)
Jesper Lindstrom, acquired from Brondby (July 2021) for €7 million, was sold to Napoli for €30 million (August 2023)
Sebastian Haller, acquired from Utrecht (January 2017) for €12 million, was sold toWest Ham for €50 million (July 2019)
Luca Jovic, acquired from Benfica (April 2019) for €22.5 million, was sold toReal Madrid for €60 million (June 2019)
Krosche, who established a car leasing company to enhance his business skills after his playing career, won the Europa League in his first season with Frankfurt alongside coach Oliver Glasner, but a challenge loomed with a squad that was among the oldest in the Bundesliga.
Currently, Frankfurt boasts the youngest squad in the league, thanks to Krosche's well-crafted strategy of identifying talent early. Among a squad brimming with promising prospects, 20-year-old Hugo Larsson (acquired from Malmo), 21-year-old Fares Chaibi (from Toulouse) and 25-year-old newly signed striker Jonathan Burkhardt (from Mainz) could be the next to be transferred to some of Europe's top clubs for significant profits.
Krosche has previously explained to Sky Sports that part of the secret in pinpointing the right players through scouting data is to plan one year ahead: "We must be proactive in the market.
"We need to outperform others because we cannot afford errors. We have to be quicker and more efficient. Therefore, by October, we will have a clear vision of who we intend to sign for the following summer. This gives us a considerable advantage since other clubs are not active in the market at that time."
German football legend Lothar Matthaus, who currently serves as a TV analyst for Sky Sports Germany, commends Krosche's maneuvers in the transfer market.
"Markus Krosche is the transfer king!" he stated. "And even if the Ekitike sale may initially weaken them, I am impressed by the composure with which those around Krosche operate. They are fully aware of their actions. From what I know of him, he has already planned ahead with Jonathan Burkardt.
"Despite these numerous departures and the substantial transfer fees, much of which is reinvested, Frankfurt consistently achieves a healthy profit. These are aspirations and accomplishments that many Bundesliga clubs fail to realize. Success, transfer profits, and satisfied fans: what more could one desire?"
While Krosche has been performing his magic at Frankfurt, the same cannot be said for his counterpart at German giants Bayern Munich, Max Eberl. There is a saying in Germany that "what Bayern wants, Bayern gets," but in light of Eberl's struggles in the transfer market, that saying currently rings hollow.
Bayern did manage to attract German international Jonathan Tah to Sabener Strasse, but during the summer, they missed out on players like Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), and Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, resulting in one of the most disappointing transfer windows in decades for the German champions.
This has sparked speculation in the German media regarding whether Krosche is likely to take over from Eberl, who faces criticism from all quarters in Germany, not least from Matthaus.
"The funds they allocated for contract renewals for Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich, along with how Eberl managed the negotiations concerning Florian Wirtz and Thomas Müller. Such errors have become frequent in recent years and are detrimental to the club's healthy atmosphere and its external image, which has become fragile in recent times," he argues.
The question now is whether Bayern, following a tumultuous transfer window, will choose to give Krosche an opportunity to stabilize the situation in Munich.
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