Rasmus Kristensen officially departed Leeds in April 2025.
Eintracht Frankfurt opted to trigger their €9m (£7.7m) purchase clause after taking the Denmark international on loan for the 2024/25 campaign, a season in which he clearly did enough to impress.
Rasmus Kristensen endured a tough time at Elland Road – even considering retirement – but new comments from Dino Toppmoller suggest he has rediscovered his love for football away from Leeds.
Rasmus Kristensen now “always wants to play” despite thinking about retirement in Yorkshire
Kristensen was not happy while under contract at Leeds, admitting in May 2025: “I wanted to quit football completely last season (2023/24 campaign on loan at Roma). I just didn’t feel like it anymore.”
Rasmus Kristensen in action for Leeds United
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
The move to Germany has – however – transformed life for the Dane.
Kristensen even scored against Liverpool last week, and ahead of a 2-0 win over St Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Toppmoller revealed just how eager the defender now is to play every game.
The Eintracht Frankfurt boss said: “Rasmus offers mentality and strong tackling. He always wants to play.”
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A lot can quickly change in football, and it is nice to see the 28-year-old rediscover his appetite for the game after a fairly miserable spell at Leeds.
Leeds United are also winners after Rasmus Kristensen sale
Not only is Kristensen content with life in Germany, but Leeds have also made significant improvements in the right-back department since offloading the Dane.
Jayden Bogle has impressed since his move from Sheffield United in July 2024, making the right-back position his own and also earning a spot in the Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season last term.
Behind the man born in Reading, Daniel Farke can also call upon James Justin, who did well against West Ham after coming off the bench.
The England international was once considered to be among the best right-backs in the division while at Leicester, so the fact Leeds now have him as a backup in the full-back department speaks volumes about how strong it has become since Kristensen departed.