Eintracht Frankfurt is back in action: Happy New Year!

Eintracht Frankfurt is starting its preparations for the new season in good spirits. New signing Jonny Burkardt is immediately showing what he's capable of. Another player is shining in an unfamiliar role.

After the first and before the second Linkin Park concert, there's a certain bustle around Frankfurt's Waldstadion. An armada of security guards is at work, as are a few delivery men; it's a busy calm before the storm. And finally, in the shadow of the stadium—one could almost forget it with all the rock 'n' roll—the Eintracht Frankfurt team is back at work.

A little over seven weeks have passed since Dino Toppmöller's team secured a well-deserved third place in the Champions League in Freiburg. Now it's time to start a season in which they hope to defend that position if possible. The mood is certainly upbeat, with coach Dino Toppmöller greeting the journalists present with "Happy New Year" and: "Have you missed us?"

As a football fan, you might generally agree, as the summer months are traditionally the longest weeks of the year. And the players also seem happy that the ball is rolling again. Running, warming up, then fast exercises with the ball at your feet, passing sequences, and finally games – is there a better job? "We're all very happy that preparations for the new season have finally begun. Even on the way to the training ground, I had butterflies of anticipation in my stomach," said Toppmöller after training.

Eintracht's squad looks like a work in progress at the start of the season, but that's deceptive. The national team players are still on vacation for a few days, and at Eintracht Frankfurt in 2025, there are quite a few of them. The training group is being filled out with youth players, some of whom aren't exactly hiding in training. "They've made a good impression," praises Toppmöller. Mario Götze and Tuta are still in rehab, while problem child junior Dina Ebimbe is training individually, as is often the case in the second half of the season; a transfer seems inevitable.

New signing Jonny Burkardt is right in the thick of things, and in training games he's already shown what to expect from him: speed, clever runs, an elegant lob over Jens Grahl and into the net, and above all: a solid effort. When he clears Grahl in an aerial duel outside the six-yard box, the resulting shot goes wide, but his mark is still there.

Also striking: central defender Aurèle Amenda, who plays unusually far forward in training games and stands out with two elegant tunnels and three goals. And of course, Hugo Ekitiké, who seems to have magnets in his feet, judging by his ball control and handling. If one didn't already know his qualities, this training session would be enough to understand why he's a candidate for an absolute top club.

Ekitiké's team then wins the mini-tournament on a reduced pitch, though that's hardly a particularly meaningful result. The training session was what it is anyway: a warm-up, not too relaxed, but in terms of energy level, nothing like the Linkin Park soundcheck that thunders over from the stadium at some point. "The players are fresh and motivated; they made a good impression today," says Toppmöller. "On the first day of training, it was all about the joy of playing – and the guys totally embodied that."

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• Eintracht Frankfurt