They just keep developing insane wonderkids

Eintracht Frankfurt sold their two biggest attacking stars over the last two transfer windows, banking a cool €170m for Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike. One might have expected a drop-off in attacking quality and entertainment value from Frankfurt in the year that followed, but they’re still the team to watch for up-and-coming young talent in Germany.

The actual results have been average so far for Frankfurt this year, though their attack is not the problem. Their 16 goals conceded is the worst in the Bundesliga. While their defense hasn’t exactly been great — they’ve allowed 8.41 xG in 6 games, which is still below average — a combination of bad luck and bad goalkeeping is what’s really done them in.

Please enjoy the radar of goalkeeper Kauã Santos, who has been benched and is unlikely to get his job back. If you’re wondering, a -17 shot stopping rating is, indeed, very bad.

If Frankfurt can get some league average goalkeeping and start conceding at around the same clip as their xG, they’ll be a top 4 team in the Bundesliga, even with a below average defense. That’s because their attack is utterly ridiculous — they’ve got 17 goals this season, second to only Bayern Munich.

At the heart of it all is 19-year-old Turkish attacking midfielder Can Uzun, who’s working on building up some Florian Wirtz-style €100m man hype. If you are unfamiliar, please enjoy a sizzle reel.

Uzun is a classic No. 10 who’s just as much shooter as playmaker. His ability to both create his own shot and create for others around the box at an elite clip is what’s going to have some of the world’s richest clubs thinking about making a move.

Early season/small sample stuff here, but my eyeballs tell me he’s capable of keeping up this kind of production.

Last season, Uzun only played 761 minutes after arriving from Nürnburg, mostly coming off the bench. But he’s locked into a first choice role now, and he’s quickly become his team’s most important attacking player.

And Uzun isn’t the only young superstar turning heads at Frankfurt this season. The somewhat lesser known 20-year-old French winger Jean-Mattéo Bahoya is having a breakout campaign. Like Uzun, he spent most of last year as a late-game sub, tallying 1029 minutes.

Bahoya has been a dribbling machine, and with production on the end of it too. He’s been excellent at beating his man, then cutting the ball back between the 6-yard box and the penalty spot. He’s got 8 key passes this season and has more open play xG assisted than anyone but Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer.

In the event that you’re finding the international football a bit boring, I recommend finding a replay of a Frankfurt game from this season. They’ve been absolutely bonkers, and have featured two of the best young attacking talents in the game absolutely going off.

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