“We want to compete with the best in Europe” | OneFootball

Board member for sport Markus Krösche on the summer transfer window, the start of the season, the Champions League and the development of the women’s team.

Board member for sport Markus Krösche on ...

… the transfer window: “On the whole, we’re satisfied with the summer transfer window. We’d announced that we didn’t want to do too much and we stuck to that – for the most part, we managed to keep our team intact. We obviously have to generate transfer revenue, but the important thing is that we’re always prepared. We wanted to go into pre-season with the majority of our squad in place. Things took a while with Ritsu Doan, who joined us after the training camp. We also wanted to streamline our squad a little over the summer and we succeeded in doing that.”

… the start to the season: “You could tell over the past few games that we’ve managed to keep most of the squad together. The teamwork is there, and the players and coaching staff know each other really well. The players know what Dino Toppmöller and his coaching staff expect from them. We can be really happy with how the season has started, but it’s still too early to draw any conclusions or make any predictions. Our goal is to qualify for Europe again next season, and we want to stay near the top [of the table] for as long as possible. We want to have a good season in the Champions League, compete with the best in Europe and produce good performances with our brand of football on the pitch. We want to go further in the DFB Cup than we have in the past two years, but we’ve got a tough tie coming up already against Dortmund.”

… head coach Dino Toppmöller: “He has the ambition to develop young players. We wanted to start a new chapter and needed a coach who had the courage to play young players and the ability to develop those players within the team. He fulfils those criteria perfectly. We had the youngest team over 34 matchdays last season, and after two games so far this season we’ve also had the youngest side. He believes in the boys. He’s doing a great job, both professionally and on a personal level. He has a good relationship with the squad and the lads trust him.”

… Nnamdi Collins: “Some of the reporting and the tone after his international debut [in the 2-0 defeat to Slovakia] was unfair. He was playing his first game and there were completely different players with different backgrounds on the pitch. It wasn’t easy for him, and considering it was his senior international debut he did quite well. You always need a good framework around you. The bottom line is that his development over the past few months has been outstanding. I told him to take the positives from the game and keep working hard. Defeats are part and parcel of the game.”

… Jonathan Burkardt: “He had a very good pre-season. His absence against Hoffenheim was a precautionary measure. With his intensity, speed and finishing ability, he’s a perfect fit for us. He’s settled in very well and he’s an important part of the team.”

… Mario Götze: “We sat down for a long chat together eight to 10 days ago. Mario is an important part of the team and has played a big part in our success in recent years. He has incredible quality on the pitch and can take us to the next level. He’s fit and motivated, which is crucial. We’ll sit down together again this winter and assess the status quo. There’s nothing concrete [to discuss] at the moment. He’s an extremely important player for us and we’re glad to have him.”

… Eintracht Women’s season: “Their summer has been a little more turbulent than the men’s after losing some key players. We’re approaching the issue the same way as we are with the men’s team, meaning there will be times when players leave us and we’re relying on generating transfer revenue. We want to bring in young players and develop them, but we also want to retain our key players in the long term. We’ll see how that goes. The opening win against Essen was a good start, but the same applies here – we need to play a few games to see where we stand. Our goal this season is to finish in the top three in the league and we also want to play in the Champions League on a regular basis. We’ve been handed a tough task against Real Madrid in the Champions League qualifiers, but I’m very confident we’ll perform well and reach the league phase. We’re ambitious and it’s a huge occasion for us. In the DFB Cup, we’re aiming to reach the final and will do everything in our power to get there.”