“Purely sporting reasons” | OneFootball

Jonathan Burkardt reveals the reasons behind his move, praises Eintracht’s ambition and efforts in signing him, and describes his work ethic and style of play.

Jonathan Burkardt on …

… his first few days at Eintracht: “[It’s been] exciting! There was a lot to take in, everything has gone smoothly since Friday. I’m glad it worked out the way it did. The timing was great – I can take part in the performance tests straight away and attend our first training session. That way I can absorb a lot from the get-go, take full part in pre-season and prepare myself for the campaign in the best possible way. My focus is on settling in, bringing my personality and positivity to the table and leading by example with my commitment.”

… the move to Frankfurt: “They first got in touch in the winter. I realised very quickly that I wanted to end the season at Mainz. I made my mind up at the end of the campaign. We held a few talks and Eintracht’s efforts [to get me to sign] were very impressive. My move is based purely on sporting reasons. The prospects are great. Above all, it was important to me for a club to come and show that they really wanted me. I was impressed with the management’s efforts to sign me.”  … the Champions League: “To play in Europe is a big step and a major factor for me. If I can adapt, I’ll hopefully take a few steps in the right direction, because we have a lot of games coming up at a high level. Either way, it’s important for my development that I play on a regular basis. I feel I have the opportunity to do that in Frankfurt, and at the highest level possible. Of course, I can hardly wait to hear the Champions League anthem for the first time.”

… where he will live: “I’m aiming to move to Frankfurt to be closer [to the club] and more flexible, but the short distance [from Mainz] makes things easy for me. I can continue to live in Mainz and commute for the first few weeks. There are more difficult things involved in a move (laughs).”

… his style of play: “I can play alongside a strike partner or as a lone frontman. I believe I can help control and lead the team’s defence from the front. As for scoring goals, I want to try and maintain my tally by being dangerous in the box and in the final third. I like to give everything I’ve got and want to do all I can, in all areas of the game, to become the best footballer I can be.”

… what sets Eintracht Frankfurt apart: “A remarkable ability to unite the stadium, the fans and the team. It can be very loud [at Deutsche Bank Park], the atmosphere is always great. I’m really looking forward to my first home game, running on to the pitch and hearing the fans. The team’s outstanding mentality was another factor behind my move – I got the impression that there’s a togetherness on the pitch. Particularly when things weren’t going so well in the final few games [last season], Eintracht rallied again and got the win in Freiburg [on Matchday 34]. There are a lot of strong characters here, like Kevin Trapp, Arthur Theate, Rasmus Kristensen and Robin Koch. It was fun to play against them because our duels were always intense but fair at the same time. On top of that, Dino Toppmöller has markedly improved the team over the past two years.”