Whether the transfer policy for the coming season will be a success remains to be seen, as is well known, the truth is on the pitch.
In any case, the Frankfurt Eintracht added new strength to their squad very early on and spent hardly any money.
On Friday, the Bundesliga club announced the signing of central defender Jérôme Onguéné from FC Salzburg for the coming season. It is the fourth free transfer professional after Kolo Muani (Nantes), Faride Alidou (HSV) and Marcel Wenig (FC Bayern, youth).
Peter Hess
sports editor.
Follow I follow
Two more signings have been confirmed in Aurelio Buta, a right-back from Royal Antwerp, and Harvoje Smolcic, a centre-back from Rijeka.
With current loanees Krijstian Jakic and Jens Petter Hauge getting permanent positions, the focus of transfer work will now be more on player separations than further commitments.
Onguéné signed a five-year contract.
The 24-year-old has been playing in Salzburg since the end of August 2017 and has won four Austrian championships and three national cups, contributing 13 goals and five assists in 111 competitive games to date.
This includes 21 appearances at international level, 13 in the Champions League and eight in the Europa League.
So far, Onguéné has played ten games for the national team of Cameroon and was also used twice at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, where Cameroon finished third.
However, the defender contracted malaria there and only returned to the Salzburg team last weekend.
Sports director Markus Krösche says: "On the one hand, Jérôme has many years of professional experience, also at the highest international level, and at the age of 24 he is by no means at the end of his development."
On the other hand, midfielder Rodrigo Zalazar, who was loaned out to Schalke 04, will remain a royal blue beyond the season.
A purchase obligation applies.
Eintracht Frankfurt holds a buyback option.