Eintracht Frankfurt's Coaching Dilemma: Krösche's Pursuit of Jaissle
Markus Krösche is not hiding. Not now, not after this season.
The Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director has laid his cards on the table, admitted his misstep with Albert Riera, and gone back to a name he has chased twice before: Matthias Jaissle.
This is not a new story between the two. It is a long pursuit.
Krösche grew up in the Red Bull world at RB Leipzig. Jaissle made his name in the same network at RB Salzburg. Their paths never quite crossed in the same dugout, but their reputations did. Twice, according to reports, Krösche tried to lure Jaissle to Frankfurt: first in the summer of 2023 after Oliver Glasner’s departure, then again during the winter break when Dino Toppmöller’s time was up.
Both times, the move collapsed. Frankfurt pivoted. And paid for it.
Riera, the Misjudgement Krösche Now Owns
When Jaissle stayed out of reach, Eintracht turned to Albert Riera. On paper, a bold, modern appointment. In reality, a combustible fit.
The Spaniard, labelled “difficult to manage,” clashed with key players and the media. The atmosphere turned sour, the football never truly caught fire, and the numbers were brutal: only four wins from 14 matches before his exit.
Krösche did not duck the responsibility.
“I put him in a situation where he had little chance of success,” he said at the end-of-season press conference. The appointment, he admitted, was “my mistake. My misjudgement.” With that, he tied his own error directly to Frankfurt’s failure to reach European competition.
He went further, explaining how he had broken his own rulebook. When you replace a coach mid-season, he said, you do not bring in someone who doesn’t know the league or lack top-flight experience. He did exactly that.
Why? Because he felt it.
“I had a feeling, a conviction… I always act on conviction. It was so strong that I disregarded the principle of caution.”
That conviction has cost Eintracht a season of European football. Now the same man is charged with making sure the next call is the right one.
Why Jaissle Fits the New Brief
This time, the framework is clear. The club has defined the profile, not just the name.
Eintracht want a German-speaking coach. They want intensity back in the stadium, a side that presses, runs, and drags the crowd with it. High-tempo football, high emotion. A blend of counter-attacking punch and controlled possession.
Jaissle fits that description almost perfectly.
He knows the Bundesliga, even if only from his playing days at TSG Hoffenheim. He comes from the Red Bull school of high-intensity football that Frankfurt want to revive. And crucially, he is already winning elsewhere.
With Al-Ahli, Jaissle has just lifted the Asian Champions League for the second time. He is under contract there until 2027, a long, lucrative deal anchored by a reported salary of 15 million euros. Yet, according to reports, he is ready to sacrifice a significant portion of that income if the right project in the Bundesliga or Premier League comes along.
That willingness to take a pay cut says plenty. Jaissle is not simply chasing the biggest contract; he wants a stage that matches his ambition. Frankfurt, with their fanbase, infrastructure and European aspirations, can offer exactly that.
Eintracht have already made contact. The door is open. The question is whether they can now push it all the way.
Hütter in the Frame – and a Different Kind of Advantage
Jaissle is not the only serious candidate. Adi Hütter is back in the conversation, and in Frankfurt that name still carries weight.
Hütter knows the club, the city, the pressure. He led Eintracht before and left an imprint of aggressive, front-foot football that still resonates with supporters. He, too, fits Krösche’s updated criteria: a clear vision, a defined idea of how his team should play, and a commitment to that “certain intensity” the sporting director demands.
Krösche has been explicit about the tactical blend he wants: a side that can counter at pace, but also control games with the ball. “We need to master both styles to regularly compete for European places,” he explained. The next coach will not be allowed to specialise in only one phase; he must build a team that can do both, week after week.
Hütter offers another, very practical advantage. Unlike Jaissle, he is a free agent. Since leaving AS Monaco in October last year, he has been without a club. Re-hiring him would not require a compensation fee, a detail that always matters when long-term squad planning and budget structures are in play.
Sporting directors rarely say it out loud, but the equation is simple: with Hütter, every euro goes into salary and squad; with Jaissle, a chunk goes to Al-Ahli first.
Decision Time in Frankfurt
The clock is ticking at Deutsche Bank Park.
“We are in talks. We want to find a solution soon,” Krösche said recently when asked about the search for a new coach. There was no attempt to stretch the process into the summer. No appetite for another long saga.
According to Bild, Eintracht Frankfurt want the decision made as early as next week. That timeline reflects urgency but also intent: the new coach must shape pre-season, influence transfers, and set the tone after a year that veered off course.
Krösche has already lived through the consequences of ignoring his own principles. Now he stands at a familiar crossroads, staring again at Matthias Jaissle, with Adi Hütter waiting just off to the side.
This time, conviction alone will not be enough. The next appointment will define whether Frankfurt return to the European stage—or spend another season watching it from the outside.
