Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer.
The German side are eighth in the Bundesliga, conceding the second-highest number of goals.
They drew with Napoli in the Champions League this week. Ahead of the tie, Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport.
He was asked about the Eagles’ policy of selling players.
Hardung responded: “It’s a team effort, and there’s no secret recipe. The first step is to identify talent around the world and bring them to Frankfurt under the right conditions.”
“Then we have to do everything we can to make the player feel comfortable. If he’s young, allow him to make mistakes. And grow, including through specific and, above all, individual training.”
Hardung also indicated that Eintracht Frankfurt are witnessing a drop in quality after Ekitike’s sale to Liverpool.
“It’s clear that when you say goodbye to players like Kolo Muani or Ekitike, your quality drops. And you can’t keep them, there’s little to discuss, as ambitious as we remain in our project.”
When asked about how the club solves this problem, the German said:
“Simple, look for and train others. There’s a thin thread that links player trading and scouting. If you manage to maintain a balance and overcome the obvious difficulties at the beginning of each cycle, you can then replicate the results on the pitch.”
Eintracht Frankfurt have replaced the French forward well.
Jonathan Burkardt joined from Mainz and has scored six in eight Bundesliga games. He also has three Champions League goals.
Can Uzun has also been on form, scoring five and assisting three times.