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The mystery of Amin Younes at Eintracht Frankfurt: two versions, one consequence

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Armin Younes

The last turbulent transfer days lie behind Eintracht Frankfurt. With all the fuss about the failed move from Filip Kostic to Lazio Rome, the Amin Younes file is almost forgotten. Why did the playmaker go from fan favorite to bogeyman within a few weeks? And how will things go on with him after his failed transfer to the desert?

When Markus Krösche took up his post as the successor to Fredi Bobic at Eintracht Frankfurt at the beginning of June, he made it clear that he wanted to downsize the SBU squad. According to the new sports board, it should be 23 to 25 players.

Since the transfer window closed on August 31, there are 30 players in coach Oliver Glasner’s squad. “The optimal size of the squad is lower, I’ll admit that,” said Krösche. However, the 40-year-old couldn’t expect some strange things to happen in the last few days.

For example, Filip Kostic really wanted to move to Lazio Rome, the Italians bid according to information from SPOX and Goal but at no point during the negotiations did they exceed half of the 20 million euros demanded by the SGE and even got bogged down in a curious way when submitting their offer by email. In addition, contrary to various media reports, no specific offers came to Frankfurt for other potential change candidates such as Daichi Kamada or Evan N’Dicka.

Younes at Eintracht Frankfurt: From fan favorite to bogeyman

And then there’s the Amin Younes file. Like Kostic, the 2017 Confed Cup winner is still in the Glasner squad. In contrast to the case of the Serb, to whom those responsible approached publicly despite the strike, it is rather unlikely that Younes will wear the Eintracht eagle on his chest again. The 29-year-old was even canceled for the Hessen’s Europa League squad.

In the spring he was still considered to be the new darling of the public and, in addition to convincing sporting performances, also made himself sympathetic next to the lawn by commemorating the victims of the Hanau attack and supporting their families. “I know what I have in Eintracht,” said Younes, who many on the Main even saw as a figure of identification, in an interview with the at the beginning of May Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “When you’ve found your port, you should stay there.”

Younes wasn’t just about getting a better salary

What has happened since then? The fact is according to information from SPOX and Goal: Younes played for less than half of his € 4 million Naples salary in Frankfurt. After his rather modest sporting adventure in Italy, he just wanted to have fun with football again and be on the pitch regularly.

However, there was after his arrival on the Main – as well as from Sport1 reports – with the former sports management around Bobic an oral agreement to reassess the situation after the season. In other words: to reward Younes with an improved salary in the event of good performance and to immediately take the purchase option for him, which is between two and three million euros.

Younes, who meanwhile played his way back into the German national team, believed at the end of the season that he had done what was necessary for an improved salary. He hoped for the financial appreciation of the new management team around Krösche, but also wanted clarity about his sporting future and no longer as a loan player. However, there was no compromise, at Eintracht it was apparently of the opinion that there was still enough time to clarify the Younes issue. The player then told his agent to look for alternatives for him.

Younes spoke to Al-Shabab in mid-June

His first option at that time was unity, but after the first talks in mid-June at the latest, it quickly became clear to him that the Hessians were not ready to offer him a contract according to his ideas. Now there are two versions: The club side lets it be known that Younes has “unrealistic demands” (kicker) in terms of salary. From the playing field, however, it is said that Younes wanted to sign a good contract again in his late 20s, but did not ask for a huge amount – rather one that at least came close to his old one in Naples.

The truth? May be somewhere in between. In any case, Younes met according to information from SPOX and Goal with representatives of the Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab before the start of the pre-season to explore a possible change. Since nothing changed in his situation in the following weeks, he finally communicated internally his wish for a change and reached an agreement with Al-Shabab.

SGE trainer Glasner then planned without him, even if Younes was still involved in training in the city forest until the end. Around August 20, everyone involved said that the change was fixed, that there were only final modalities to be clarified. Then, however, there was another 180-degree rotation.

SGE farewell in winter? Younes not in the Europa League squad

Younes suddenly informed the Frankfurters that they wanted to stay. Why? One can only speculate about this at this point in time. Born in Düsseldorf, he is not a yes-man, but a guy with rough edges, for whom justice is paramount. If something doesn’t suit him, he opens his mouth. A pattern of behavior that has not always been conducive to his career. So he left Ajax Amsterdam in 2018 more or less in a dispute.

It is quite possible that his time in Frankfurt will come to a similar end. The non-nomination for the Europa League is a clear sign that he no longer plays a role in the plans of the coaches and those responsible. Saying goodbye should be an issue again in winter at the latest. Younes is currently not integrated into the Frankfurt training facility. According to information from SPOX and Goal, however, for a private reason: He’s getting married.

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