Two players who were relegated at Elland Road are getting closer to the Champions League as Leeds United continues to hope for a Championship escape.
In retrospect, the concerns surrounding Victor Orta’s hiring might be more about fit than talent. Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, and others are all excellent players.
It is up for question whether or not they were Premier League players.
Perhaps Kristensen and others were nearly doomed to fail because Leeds United was having a hard time adjusting to life after Marcelo Bielsa. Arriving during the lacklustre Jesse Marsch era, just as things at Elland Road were beginning to fall apart very rapidly.
Although Kristensen and Koch might not be contending for the 2025 Ballon d’Or—the same cannot be said for former Leeds star turned Barcelona talisman Raphinha—qualification for the Champions League would still be a significant step forward for a defensive team that has been reunited and is performing at its best at Bundesliga powerhouse Eintracht Frankfurt.
Rasmus Kristensen, a Leeds United loanee, creates a masterclass for Dortmund
Dino Toppmoller’s team is now in third place after three straight victories. halfway between RB Leipzig in fifth place and Bayer Leverkusen in second.
Meanwhile, Frankfurt now leads the struggling Borussia Dortmund by an enormous 11 points. Over the weekend, the Eagles easily defeated the Black and Yellows, winning 2-0 thanks to a clean sheet from Robin Koch and Rasmus Kristensen’s first assist in Frankfurt colours.
The Leeds loanee, who lined up on the right of Toppmoller’s wing-back formation, allowed the dynamic Dane to carry on entirely unencumbered by defensive duties. He quickly broke Dortmund’s defence with a one-two before putting in a cross towards the near post.
Without Omar Marmoush, the talisman headed to Manchester City, Hugo Ekitike finished in style, setting Frankfurt up for a decisive win.
The German media has called Rasmus Kristensen “an absolute hit” at Frankfurt. Additionally, the £12.5 million option-to-buy provision in his Commerzbank Arena deal appears to be offering rather outstanding value for money with each daring outing.
After Frankfurt brought under-fire Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin even closer to the flames, the Hanauer Anzeiger said, “[Kristensen was] on fire, as always.” “Continually advanced, flawlessly set up Ekitike’s [opening] goal.”
As much for his aggressive, tough-tackling style as for his on-the-ball skills, Kristensen has become something of a cult icon. In addition to being a serious threat at one end, the former Red Bull Salzburg star also kept Jamie Gittens, the Dortmund star, on the fringes at the other.
The majority of full-backs would tell you that it’s easier said than done.
“A man of the people,” Spiegel continues, describing Kristensen as the epitome of “fan favourite.” “It is likely that SGE will exercise the option to purchase the Danish right-back because Kristensen is a dynamic, edgy player who can excite the crowd, and the Frankfurt supporters are especially open to this.”
Lothar Matthaus praises Kristensen’s contribution to the Bundesliga’s top teams.
Lothar Matthaus, the Ballon d’Or winner and a legend in Germany, may be difficult to get along with.
But he himself cannot doubt Frankfurt’s performance on the transfer market.
The three former Dortmund players’ prominent roles on Friday night undoubtedly did not reflect well on the struggling, defeated visitors, and if the Eagles exercise their option to sign Kristensen permanently, they will have paid a total of about 15 million euros for him and Robin Koch.
The Champions League contenders, who are experts at buying low and selling high, assert that “Frankfurt can work in peace.” “If the team remains the same and [sporting director Markus] Krosche keeps finding these gems on the transfer market, I can see Eintracht establishing itself among the top four.”
In addition to Marmoush, other notable transfers were Rasmus Kristensen and Arthur Theate. Dortmund produced Ansgar Knauff and Nnamdi Collins, while Frankfurt produced former BVB star Mario Gotze.
