First flop for his club? This Bundesliga signing needs to deliver now | OneFootball

If there is one club in Germany that currently stands for excellent transfer policy, it is Eintracht Frankfurt. The Hessians have had a golden touch in recent years, bringing in players like Hugo Ekitiké, Omar Marmoush, Randal Kolo Muani, or William Pacho, who all dominated the league for SGE and were then sold for enormous sums. Expensive purchases that didn't quite work out, on the other hand, were rare. Until now.

Watch all DFB-Pokal games in the Sky live stream on OneFootball. Every match is available as pay-per-view for €4.99 in our app.

With Elye Wahi, SGE now has, if you can say that after half a season, perhaps its first real problem child in a long time. The Frenchman was brought in for a proud 26 million euros in the last winter transfer window and was directly the second-most expensive purchase in Eintracht history. While players like Ekitiké or RKM were able to show after just a few months that they are something very special, the newcomer from Marseille visibly struggled to bring his qualities onto the pitch.

Last season, he played just 494 minutes for the Frankfurters and was unable to score a single goal.

📸 KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV - AFP or licensors

Calling him a failed transfer after half a season might be a bit premature, but the question remains: How can Wahi bring his qualities to the pitch in the future?

The situation is complicated. Toppmöller had SGE play in a 3-4-3 towards the end of last season. Alongside the striker, who was still Hugo Ekitiké last season, the two other offensive players had a lot of freedom to put the goal-getter up front in the best possible position.

After Omar Marmoush's departure, Ansgar Knauff grew more and more into this role towards the end of the season and secured the Champions League with the new Liverpool striker. Now that Ekitiké is in England, Wahi could grow into the role of his French predecessor. Or not?

There is one problem, though. Jonathan Burkardt, SGE's new signing from Mainz, is better suited for this role, if you look at the statistics on 'FBref'. The German national player was much more efficient in front of goal. While Burkardt even exceeded his "expected goals" in the last 365 days, Wahi fell far behind the goals he should have scored. Additionally, the Frankfurters played in a 4-2-3-1 in the preparation, with only one target man set. Will the air get thin for Wahi?

Not necessarily. Although the Frenchman was statistically inferior to his competitor for the number nine in terms of efficiency, he actually knows exactly where the goal is. Both in terms of expected goals and progressive passes per 90 minutes, the 22-year-old has strong statistical values.

That he might be able to convert the passes he receives into goals after all, he hinted at in the friendly matches. In the test games against Philadelphia United and Aston Villa, he was able to score a goal each time.

Also in this regard, the competition is not sleeping - Burkardt was also able to shine in the preparation - and will probably be set for the new season first. But maybe Wahi doesn't have to assert himself against the new SGE striker competitor, but against the system.

Looking at those he should orient himself to in his development, they also worked quite well together: Marmoush and Ekitiké merged into "Hugomar" at times and even set up six goals for each other. Before Toppmöller decides against one of his strikers at the start of the season, it might be worth considering deciding against the four-man backline system from the test games.

But whether together with Burkardt or alone, he needs to start firing soon. And firing means, according to SGE striker standards, developing into a number nine of quasi-world-class format. The escape to a wing position or the offensive midfield doesn't seem like a real option - especially because of Ritsu Doan, who came from Freiburg.

If he doesn't get the curve, he would be the first bigger, more serious fail that SGE has produced in their recent transfer history in the striker position. At the same time, he could also be the first Frankfurt striker to make it as an expensive late bloomer. One way or the other, Elye Wahi will be a first for Eintracht.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Pau Barrena - 2025 Getty Images