Rasmus Kristensen of Leeds United reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland…Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Leeds United flop praised by Ballon D’Or winner as £12.5m destroys Borussia Dortmund
As Leeds United continue to dream of a Championship escape, two players who suffered relegation at Elland Road are closing in on the Champions League.
In hindsight, questions over Victor Orta’s recruitment should perhaps be focused less on talent and more suitability. Marc Roca, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, Rasmus Kristensen and co are all fine players.
Whether they were Premier League players, well, that is another debate entirely.
Perhaps, with Leeds United struggling to adapt to life post-Marcelo Bielsa, the likes of Kristensen were almost set up to fail. Arriving in the midst of the underwhelming Jesse Marsch era just as things started to unravel pretty quickly at Elland Road.
Now, Kristensen and Koch may not be challenging for the Ballon D’Or in 2025 – the same cannot be said of former Leeds favourite turned Barcelona talisman Raphinha – but qualification for the Champions League would still represent a big step in the right direction for a defensive duo reunited, and playing at the peak of their powers, at Bundesliga high-flyers Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Frankfurt’s French forward #11 Hugo Ekitike (R) and Frankfurt’s Danish defender #13 Rasmus Kristensen celebrate scoring the 1-0 goal during the Ger…
Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
Leeds United loanee Rasmus Kristensen produces Dortmund masterclass
Three successive wins has Dino Toppmoller’s side sitting third. Equidistant between Bayer Leverkusen in second and RB Leipzig in fifth.
The gap between Frankfurt and underperforming Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, now stands at a colossal 11 points. A gap widened as The Eagles cruised past The Black and Yellows over the weekend, a 2-0 win secured via a Robin Koch clean sheet and a first assist in Frankfurt colours for Rasmus Kristensen.
Lining up on the right of Toppmoller’s wing-back system – thus, allowing the dynamic Dane to push on largely free from defensive responsibilities – the Leeds loanee undid Dortmund’s backline with a rapid-fire one-two before fizzing in a cross towards the near post.
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Hugo Ekitike finished stylishly, setting Frankfurt on their way to a statement victory in the absence of the Manchester City-bound talisman Omar Marmoush.
Rasmus Kristensen has been labelled ‘an absolute hit’ at Frankfurt by the German media. And, with every swashbuckling appearance, the £12.5 million option-to-buy clause in his Commerzbank Arena contract looks more and more like pretty exceptional value for money.
“[Kristensen was] on fire, as always,” Hanauer Anzeiger write after Frankfurt put under-fire Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin even closer to the fire. “Constantly marched forward, perfectly prepared the [opening] goal by Ekitike.”
Kristensen has become something of a cult hero, as much for his tough-tackling aggression as his on-the-ball qualities. The former Red Bull Salzburg ace not only posed a major threat at one end, he also kept Dortmund whizzkid Jamie Gittens on the periphery at the other.
Easier said than done, as most full-backs will attest.
“A man of the people,” Spiegel add, Kristensen the very definition of ‘fans favourite’. “It is likely that SGE will exercise the option to buy the Danish right-back: As an edgy, driving player, Kristensen is a player who can get the crowd fired up and the Frankfurt fans are particularly receptive to this.”
Lothar Matthaus lauds Kristensen impact at Bundesliga high-flyers
Germany legend and Ballon D’Or winner Lothar Matthaus can be a hard man to please.
Not even he can question Frankfurt’s success in the transfer market, however.
The Eagles, should they take up their option to sign Kristensen permanently, will have signed both he and Robin Koch for a combined fee of around 15 million euros, while the starring role played by three former Dortmund men on Friday night certainly did not reflect particularly well on the beleaguered, beaten visitors.
“Frankfurt can work in peace,” Matthaus says, the Champions League chasers masters of buying low and selling high. “I can imagine that Eintracht will establish itself among the top four if the squad stays the same and [sporting director Markus] Krosche continues to find these pearls on the transfer market.
“Not only Marmoush, Arthur Theate and Rasmus Kristensen were also top transfers. Ansgar Knauff and Nnamdi Collins came from Dortmund, and Mario Gotze, a former BVB star, blossomed in Frankfurt.”
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