“It’s like a dream” | OneFootball

Winter signing Younes Ebnoutalib talks about his first few days at Eintracht, his strengths and what it means to now be an Eagle.

Younes Ebnoutalib on …

… the significance of wearing the eagle on his jersey: “I’m just proud. It’s an honour to play for your hometown club. It’s like a dream. I’ll give it my all. Pressure is a part of elite-level sport so you have to be able to cope with it, but I just want to enjoy this time. I was delighted when I heard that Eintracht were interested in me. I have the luxury of playing here for such a big club – and in my home city too.”

… his first few days: “I was really excited. Even though this is my home, it’s a new chapter for me. The first few days were challenging but they were also really nice. The boys are all good guys.”

… his aims: “To get the best out of myself and to keep learning new things if they help me improve. I’ve only ever had football on my mind since I was a young kid. I’ve given everything for it.”

… his strengths: “My finishing, my pace and my physique. But you can never learn enough, you can always keep developing. That said, I feel ready to play in the Bundesliga – and I want to be ready. I’m approaching it with respect, but you also have to believe in yourself.”

… Taekwondo: “I learned Taekwondo for ten years; my dad got me into it when I was little. In terms of my football career, it’s played a very big role because it made me very flexible. It’s also had an impact on my athleticism and explosiveness, and I’ve never had any muscular complaints.”

… the difference between the leagues: “I’ve only been here a couple of days but I can already tell that it’s a step up. The players are more aggressive and physically stronger. I’m trying to adapt quickly and give everything. My time in Elversberg did me a lot of good. The coaching staff and my team-mates believed in me. When I arrived at Elversberg, the team was in really good shape and second in the table. On top of that, in [Fisnik] Asllani, they had a striker ahead of me who was scoring regularly. I tried to pick up new things every day, to learn and work hard on my own game. I was rewarded for that. The most important piece of advice I received was to never give up and to always keep going.”

… talks with head coach Dino Toppmöller: “Expectations are really high. Everyone who comes here know that. Since I’ve been here, we’ve had a conversation. He asked me how everything’s going, how I’ve settled and how I was welcomed.”