Frankfurt in 2013/14 were a total contrast to the side that reached the dizzy heights of the top six the season before. After reaching Europe for the first time since the 2006/07 season, their league form dipped and the side spent the majority of last season battling to stay in the Bundesliga, eventually finishing in 13th place, despite winning just one of their last seven games.
Scoring goals was the main issue for Frankfurt last season, as they managed just 40 league goals across the entire campaign, only the two relegated sides Nürnberg and Braunschweig managed less goals. The next season won’t be helped by the loss of last season's top goal-scorer Joselu, who left at the end of last season as his loan deal expired.
Summer transfers
IN:
- Nelson Valdes (signed from Al Jazira)
- Lucas Piazon (loaned from Chelsea)
- Makoto Hasebe (signed from Nürnberg)
- Timothy Chandler (signed from Nürnberg)
- Aleksandar Ignjovski (signed from Werder Bremen)
- David Kinsombi (signed from Mainz)
- OUT:
- Joselu (loan ended)
- Tranquillo Barnetta (loan ended)
- Tobias Weis (loan ended)
- Stephan Schröck (to Greuther Fürth)
- Marvin Bakalorz (to Paderborn)
- Sebastian Rode (to Bayern Munich)
- Stefano Celozzi (to VfL Bochum)
- Sebastian Jung (to Wolfsburg)
- Pirmin Schwegler (to Hoffenheim)
- Marc-Oliver Kempf (to SC Freiburg)
- Goalkeepers:
Kevin Trapp is the outstanding number one choice at Franfurt. He played in every Bundesliga game last season, only missing 15 minutes of the season after being substituted against Bayern Munich during their 5-0 defeat. Despite being linked with multiple moves away from the club, with Arsenal and Liverpool both interested, nothing has yet come to fruition, and Frankfurt may be lucky enough to hold onto one of their star players for another season. Frankfurt may look for goalkeeper cover to sign however, with Felix Wiedwald being the only backup available to Schaaf at the moment.
Defenders:
The overturning of the Frankfurt squad has seen one key defender leave the club. Sebastian Jung missed just four of Frankfurt's league games last season, games which saw Stefano Celozzi, who has also left the club, take his place. Frankfurt conceded the second least amount of goals (57) when compared against teams in the bottom half of the Bundesliga, only Hertha (48) conceding less goals. They have already re-signed Timothy Chandler from Nürnburg to replace Jung, and have also brought in 18-year old David Kinsombi from Mainz' under-19s.
Midfielders:
There were a lot of gaps to fill for Frankfurt in the midfielder after the departures of captain Pirmin Schwegler and versatile midfielder Sebastian Rode, the latter leaving on a costless transfer to Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. The club have since bought two midfielders in an attempt to plug the gaps left, snapping up Makoto Hasebe and Aleksandar Ignjovski on costless transfers from Nürnburg and Werder Bremen respectively. The move for Ignjovski sees him reunited with Schaaf, who left Bremen for Frankfurt at the end of last season. Alexander Meier remains the key player in the Frankfurt midfield, as he begins his 11th season with the club. Johannes Flum and Martin Lanig also remain at the club, both of whom can play a deeper role in midfield or further up the pitch.
Forwards:
Last season, Joselu was loaned in from Hoffenheim and scored just under 25% of Frankfurt's league goals last season, finishing as their top scorer on just nine goals. Since his loan ended, Frankfurt have made two new additions to their strikeforce, bringing in Lucas Piazon on loan from Chelsea and Nelson Valdes from Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira. Valdes is an old face to the Bundesliga, having previously played for Werder Bremen and Borussia Dormund between 2001 and 2010. Goals were lacking for Frankfurt last season, and Schaaf is looking to quickly rectify that before the season starts.
Prediction:
Frankfurt face a fairly rough start to the new campaign, playing three of last season's top six in the opening five games. With no European football to juggle the Bundesliga with, the season may be slightly easier to achieve their goal of remaining in the division. The club will certainly be looking to improve on their poor 13th place finish last season, and will also be hoping to make a similar impression in the DFB-Pokal as they did the previous season, reaching the last eight. The likes of Alexander Meier and Nelson Valdes will need to be on top form to make sure Frankfurt aren't embroiled in another relegation battle, but instead aiming for a comfortable mid-table finish.