Eintracht Frankfurt have secured their new number one goalkeeper. The club has signed Noah Atubolu from SC Freiburg on a loan deal with a mandatory purchase option for next season. The transfer fee is set at around €13 million, with a total of approximately €15 million including the loan fee flowing to Freiburg.
Negotiations proved complicated because some of Eintracht's planned player sales have not yet materialised. Therefore, the club can currently only afford the 23-year-old German youth international on a temporary basis. To comply with DFB loan rules, Atubolu's contract at Freiburg, which was originally due to expire in 2027, was first extended. Manager Adi Hütter confirmed the signing and made it clear that Atubolu was not brought in to be a backup.
"We did not sign Noah to make him number two," Hütter said. Whether the new arrival will start in goal on the opening matchday against Union Berlin remained open. The manager said he would base that decision on talks with the player and goalkeeping coach Jan Zimmermann. Hütter admitted that the 7-0 friendly defeat to Brentford was the decisive factor in the search for a new goalkeeper.
Further Business Pending
The signing of Atubolu does not close all the squad issues. "A new centre-back is just as important," Hütter acknowledged. Another striker would also be valuable. Should Jonathan Burkardt be unavailable, there is currently no direct alternative with Bundesliga experience up front. Burkardt has been battling flu recently, but the manager expects his main goal threat to be available on Saturday.
As a precaution, Hütter will be without Ansgar Knauff, who reported a thigh problem, as well as the injured Jesper Lindstrøm and Daichi Kamada. This means Eintracht could begin the season with an unusual starting lineup, potentially featuring three Bundesliga-inexperienced professionals in a back four and league newcomer Felix Onyedika in midfield.
Despite the personnel uncertainties, Hütter appeared confident. "Maybe we are not top, top, top prepared. But I am convinced that we are capable of winning our games," the Austrian said. Against Union Berlin, the task is to match their physical and dynamic style of play. The full schedule for the upcoming matches can be found on our fixtures page.
The season opener is on Saturday at 3:30 PM against 1. FC Union Berlin. For Eintracht, this starts a period with three away games in the first four matchdays. The first-team squad composition can be viewed under squad.
