A little bit of fun is always good.

On the second day of the first full working week, Oliver Glasner and his helpers put together a program for the Eintracht professionals, in which the good mood was not neglected.

Unlike at first, and also in large parts of this month, the focus of the exercise unit was not on building up and expanding the basic fitness level, but on using the play equipment as tricky as possible.

Marc Heinrich

Sports editor.

  • Follow I follow

    For this purpose, the Austrian coaches had set up a varied course on the grass pitches at the arena, where it was important to cut a good figure in football tennis, to shine as a sniper in picket shooting or to kick the ball against a misappropriated trampoline in such a way that the next colleague Ideally, he could pass it on precisely.

    There was a lot of laughter, and Glasner used the breaks under the bright sun this time to talk to old hands like Makoto Hasebe, but also to talk to the many young people who, with regard to their youth, are the sons of the almost 38-year-old Japanese could.

    Ali Akman was particularly enthusiastic about the matter and was delighted to be able to demonstrate his technical skills in the individual tasks.

    Angry protests from the fans

    There are great hopes for Eintracht on the Turk, who celebrated his 19th birthday in April.

    The scouts around Ben Manga, the new director of professional football, see him as a promising talent that should help the team in the Bundesliga after acclimatization - and in the future, if everything goes according to plan, possibly the next hefty transfer fee could bring.

    The Frankfurters secured Akman's services in March.

    They had found out that the youngster would be available for a free transfer in the summer and provided the U-21 international with a four-year contract. The supporters of the Turkish association Bursaspor reacted with furious protests to the emerging progress of the exceptional talent - and Akman was then suspended by his old employer, who actually wanted to extend the cooperation with him. The blond boy has been keeping fit on the Main since Easter, and now he is officially operational - and his thirst for action leaves nothing to be desired.

    He wanted to “leave the past behind”, he had an interpreter translate on Wednesday at the first press conference that was organized especially for him in his sports life: “I want to start a new chapter.” He was waiting for it “longingly, the jersey to be allowed to carry with the eagle, ”said the novice.

    In the last round he scored ten goals in 18 games for the Turkish champions from 2010 before he left.

    Akman also had clubs in southern Europe and the British Isles on his wish list.

    In conversations with his father, who advises him on career issues, he quickly realized that Frankfurt was the right address for him to “learn and develop”, as he put it.

    “Tradition, club, fans, atmosphere” - the mixture of many good arguments tipped the balance in favor of Eintracht, and this decision was “a thousand percent” the right one, was his interim conclusion.

    His contract, which he was still negotiating with Fredi Bobic, who is now active in Berlin, runs until mid-2025. At the time, Bobic called Akman one of the most promising young hopes that Turkish football currently has to offer, he should be gradually "built up" in Frankfurt.

    "I am a realist, not a dreamer"

    Alex Meier, the former Eintracht goalgetter who was worshiped by fans as the “god of football”, was impressed by Akman's first personal impressions. He was "a little rascal", emphasized Meier, who is currently employed as a supervisor for the U19 of Eintracht. An assessment that Akman has to smile about when he gets it translated - and interprets it as a real compliment from a qualified mouth.

    The offensive specialist, who is only 1.73 meters tall and weighs around 70 kilograms, describes himself as a type of player who feels most comfortable “in the box”. In other words: In the penalty area, where he doesn't hesitate for a long time when he has the chance to finish. “It is my job to score as many goals as possible,” he says. He prefers to be in the center of the storm, but he can also use the wings to provide “bigger” teammates with assists. “I am a realist, not a dreamer. I still lack the necessary physique, I want to work on it. I'm waiting for my chance, ”Akman said on Wednesday.

    If nothing unforeseen happens, he will have the opportunity this Saturday. Then - behind closed doors - a private game against SV Wehen Wiesbaden is scheduled. Glasner can then get an idea of ​​whether the splendid mood that currently characterizes the general goings-on of his people is an indicator that allows conclusions to be drawn about the (early) shape.