A whopping million dollar package put together
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Eintracht Frankfurt have completed their fifth new signing this winter and have once again stepped up their attack. Arnaud Kalimuendo is initially coming from Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season, after which there is an option to buy the striker. If this is drawn, according to “Bild”, he would receive a contract until 2031 and become one of the top earners with a base salary in the region of 3 million euros plus bonuses.
In addition to a fee of 1.5 million euros, a further 27 million euros would be due in the event of a permanent commitment in the summer. Never before has the SGE paid more money for a transfer; only the transfer fee for Hugo Ekitiké to Paris Saint-Germain rose to 31.5 million euros after his Liverpool transfer due to the resale share. Last January, 26 million euros were paid for Elye Wahi, whom Kalimuendo is now supposed to replace.
Kalimuendo is now the fourth addition to the Eagles’ attack in this transfer period. Center forward Younes Ebnoutalib came from SV Elversberg for 8 million euros, right winger Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab came from TSG Hoffenheim II for 400,000 euros and the signing of playmaker Love Arrhov from IF Brommapojkarna had already been confirmed since May. In addition, left-back Keita Kosugi came from Djurgårdens IF for 6.5 million euros. No other Bundesliga club has come close to as many transfers and expenses this winter.
The investments became necessary primarily due to the jamming and injury problems on the offensive. When top scorer Jonathan Burkardt injured his calf at the end of November, the SGE was harmless in the following games. His replacement Michy Batshuayi also suffered an injury and had to take a break from mid-December. Wahi was unable to make much of an impact and has now been loaned to Nice.
Kalimuendo, who trained at Paris Saint-Germain, only moved from Stade Rennes to Nottingham in the summer for 30 million euros, where his contract is valid until 2030. However, he was unable to prevail against the Tricky Trees, who have been in crisis for a long time and have already had two coaching changes. In 14 games he was on the field for just 392 minutes and scored two goals. His market value therefore fell by 5 million euros to 25 million euros in the Premier League update in December.
“With Arnaud Kalimuendo, we are signing a striker who, despite his young age, has already played at a consistently high level in Ligue 1. He combines speed, depth runs and finishing skills with a very high willingness to work against the ball. It was crucial for us that he fits into our team very well not only in terms of sport but also in terms of character. Arnaud has the ambition to develop further and we are convinced that he will find an environment with us in which he can fully exploit his potential can,” said sports director Markus Krösche.