Frankfurt's excellent transfer business: Fees for buffalo herd led to Europa League victory

Hindsight is always 20-20, but when one looks back to the actual moment, Eintracht Frankfurt laid the foundation for their Europa League victory over Rangers, then Sep. 2, 2019 stands out as a key moment. Or rather, one of the key moments, in truth, that entire transfer summer was crucial for laying the foundation of the club's success. That summer is representative of the club's excellent transfer strategy. In Ante Rebić, the club sold the last member of the so-called buffalo herd left the club on that fateful Sep. 2. 

The members of the buffalo herd were Rebić, Luka Jović and Sébastien Haller. The three played a significant part in the club's first attempt to win the Europa League in 2018/19. The Eagles soared through the knockout stages, and Frankfurt's fans stood out with spectacular tifos that earned them a spot in the hearts of fan groups worldwide. It was not until the semifinals that Chelsea stopped Frankfurt in a penalty shootout. 

Jović, Haller, and Rebić moved on to bigger and better things. To the Premier League, to Real Madrid, to AC Milan. From a sporting perspective, it was a significant bloodletting for the club. Many Eintracht fans in the TM-Community were concerned that their club would not be able to replace the three stars. Perhaps the success of the club was just temporary? At least the club was well compensated. The three players on their own earned Frankfurt €119 million in transfer fees. Furthermore, the Eagles also received André Silva in exchange for Rebić from Milan. 

Europa League winners 2022: Eintracht Frankfurt's transfer strategy pays off

Two years later, Silva joined RB Leipzig. But the Portuguese striker was a major reason that the club was able to compensate for the departure of their three major stars. The striker was just one piece of the puzzle. Until 2021 the sporting leadership surrounding Fredi Bobic and Bruno Hübner and then his successors Markus Krösche and former head scout and now director of professional football Ben Manga did an excellent job with the resources they received from the many transfers.

"Ben played a major part in Eintracht's success and the development over the last few years," Bobic said on the day Manga was promoted. "His instinct for talents and his ability to spot them is highly developed, and I think he can further grow in the new structure laid out for him." Manga, Bobic, and Hübner had a common understanding when it came to finding players that fit Eintracht. Talents that other clubs perhaps overlooked. And players that were perhaps deemed as failures elsewhere. Some that were considered problematic. Players that, thanks to their big steps in their development, helped Eintracht to win their first European title since 1980.

The starting XI against Rangers cost the club just €45 million—less than what Eintracht earned from selling Haller. Less than what quarterfinal opponent Barcelona paid for Ferran Torres. Filip Kostić is a good example. Relegated with Stuttgart and Hamburg the winger could never fulfill his massive potential. Frankfurt paid just €6 million to make the transfer of the previously on loan Serbian national team player. Kostić has since scored 33 goals and 63 assists in 170 games. This year he has contributed nine scorer points during Frankfurt's run to the Europa League title. The Serbian contributed the assist to Rafael Borré's tying goal in the final. 

Kostić aside, in Djibril Sow, Sebastian Rode, and Kevin Trapp, three more players signed long-term contracts in the summer that the buffalo herd moved on. Frankfurt paid just €27 million for the trio, who were in the starting XI against Rangers. The same year Martin Hinteregger also joined the club after being previously on loan. The Austrian represents the club's mentality like no other player in the squad. Other key players like Daichi Kamada (signed 2017/18), Evan Ndicka, and Tuta (both 2018/19) were added on long-term deals in the years before. Together the three cost the club under €10 million.

In principle, the Eagles managed to run a profit on the transfer market every window since the club sold the buffalo herd—the same is likely going to be the case this upcoming season. The four new players signed all arrive on a free deal, and Dominik Kohr, Steven Zuber, and Rodrigo Zalazar will earn the club €6.1 million. Because of their contract situations, Ndicka, Kostić, and Kamada are candidates to be sold—unless they sign new contracts. But one can be certain that if the club sells some of its stars, then cheaper alternatives will already be on their way—players that can pave the path to the next title or at least to keep entertaining the fans with fascinating football, just as was the case the last few years.