Why did Frankfurt make a net profit of more than 300 million in six years alone? The Athletic author Thom Harris talked about this topic.
For most clubs, if they have to consider selling their leading attackers at the end of each season, they will inevitably feel uneasy and even panic. Understandably, other clubs will do their best to retain core players.
But under sporting director Marcus Clescher, Frankfurt sees the release of the number one scorer as a natural and necessary link in his self-sustainable model (as four of the last seven Bundesliga seasons have done).
"I call it the 'top club'," Klescher said in an interview with Sky Sports in August 2024, referring to teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Liverpool. "We are middle-level clubs, selling players to these top clubs."
"I tell the players clearly: 'If you grow faster than the club's development rate and I can get the expected transfer fee, I will let you go.' Because of this, many young talents are willing to join Frankfurt, and we know how to train them."
"Selling players is part of my job, I don't have emotions. This is business."
Although it sounds cold, Klescher's focus on details - investing heavily in training facilities and coaching teams over the past few years - is equally beneficial to players and club financial growth. They hire psychologists and nutritionists, and rely on a team of professional coaches to provide personalized guidance to young players, transparently and openly informing their goals: to land in European giants.
With Ekitic transferring to Premier League champion Liverpool for 95 million euros (including additional terms), Frankfurt's net transfer profit since the summer window of 2023 will rise to about 161 million euros. Before the official announcement of the deal, two major players in the team history sold, Lanmuani and Marmush, both joined in the form of sign-free, and generated a total revenue of 165 million euros when they left the team.
is included in Ekitic's transfer fee and only the center's sale is counted. Frankfurt will make a profit of about 345 million euros from the center position within six years.
Before Klescher took office in 2021, when Frankfurt sold Sebastian Ale and Luka Jovic in the summer window of 2019, it had tripled its original investment. When Andre Silva, who joined the two on loan, scored 28 league goals in the following season, left the team at nearly eight times the purchase price just one year later.
According to Transfermarkt statistics, no club has higher returns than Frankfurt due to net profit in the past three years. While they continue to make profits, they steadily improve their league rankings: from seventh place in the 2022-23 season to fifth place, and tied the team's best record in Bundesliga in history last season to win the third place.
In recent years, Frankfurt has achieved stable profits
So, how can Frankfurt continue to achieve all this? As more funds pour in, can this model continue?
Judging from the recruitment of players, Frankfurt's strategy to ensure future profits is not a pioneering move. They target young people with high resale potential, especially those who are multi-position-adapted and in line with club tactical style.
What really benefits it is the consistent persistence in methodology and the growth environment created for players. Its strategic execution is clearly visible: Among the nearly 26 permanent signings in Frankfurt, 21 players were under 25 when they joined. The key is that they dare to take action when market opportunities arise. If the players are determined to be in line with the system, they are willing to pay the eight-digit transfer fee.
The top ten most expensive signings in team history confirm this model. The oldest on the
list, Taiyat, was only 24 years old when he joined. With his rich experience in Serie A and Ligue 1, he ranked third in the team after joining Rennes in August last year. Six out of ten are still in the team, except Ekitic, the other four sold a total profit of 111 million euros.
Frankfurt is more willing to invest money in young players
Although Jonathan Bercart did not officially play for Frankfurt, it is another case that fits his recruitment philosophy.
Bercart, who just turned 25 this month, was in the golden period as the center of the German team who was selected for the third time. After absent from the 22/23 season and the beginning of the subsequent season due to a knee injury, he scored 18 Bundesliga goals in the farewell season.
As shown in the position hot map, Bercart is competent for all positions in the front line, and even plays a guest appearance as a wingback in the early stages of the Bundesliga. This forward, who is adaptable, athletic and good at capturing anti-offside opportunities is the type of attacker who can be like a fish in Frankfurt's high-intensity system.
Bercart's on-field position distribution map
He has significant commonalities with current Manchester City striker Marmush - the latter was also attracted by Frankfurt after showing his versatility in Stuttgart and Wolfsburg.
As it has been confirmed in the Premier League, the Egyptian international can play in any role in the offensive third zone. But his technical characteristics—exquisite long-range shooting ability and explosive breakthroughs in counterattacks—make him shine in a conversion offensive system with free space.
As can be seen from the figure below, Frankfurt was the team with the highest expected goal value in fast break last season, and even surpassed Liverpool in the four major European leagues.
Frankfurt was the team with the highest expected goal value in fast break last season
with Marmush as the core, Ekitic, who is also good at fast mobile attacks, has soared in value.
Frankfurt's insistence on a fast attack on football under coach Dino Topmuller explains the success of its transfer market to some extent.
Attracting the Premier League club with the highest spending in the world is the key to its model's continuous profitability. Given that the number of direct attacks per game in the Premier League last season has surpassed the Bundesliga, players with high-speed decision-making ability will continue to enjoy a premium..
The Premier League is currently the most direct attacking European league
Frankfurt CEO Axel Hermann was interviewed by The Athletic in May, using Marmush as an example to emphasize the importance of targeted training in accelerating player growth. He said: "We have a top Bundesliga coaching team, which is crucial. After signing young players, the training process involves a lot of work, which is why we are currently famous."
"Marmush was not a real shooter when he joined. But the coaching team has polished all aspects of psychology, physical fitness, strategy, tactics and technology, and we have reshaped a brand new player. This is the result of high-quality education and excellent guidance."
Marmush was a fast and flexible attacker when he joined; when he left the team 18 months later, he had transformed into an efficient finisher, with significantly improved free kicks and set pieces, and had the technology of breaking intensive defense and the awareness of cooperation in the open space.
Some people lack ambitions in this model, but Frankfurt's perception of its positioning in the "football food chain" is precisely its biggest advantage.
The resume of cultivating and selling young players at high prices has become a golden signboard, attracting top new stars to join. The club remains sober: as long as the players work hard to fulfill their talents, they can achieve their long-cherished wishes and help the club achieve their goals.
The only suspense is how they continue to improve their competitive level. Even if they will compete in the Champions League in the new season, it will be difficult for Frankfurt to invest all the huge transfer income into the lineup - they will find it difficult to attract top stars who can plug and play.
The only way to continue investing in the future. Therefore, even if the ranking may decline slightly next season, Frankfurt's "Divine Front Assembly Line" will never slow down.