Eintracht Frankfurt are fighting tooth and nail to keep the “extraordinary” Andre Silva out of the clutches of Arsenal or Wolves, head coach Oliver Glasner has told Kicker.
Considering he guided Wolfsburg to the Champions League places last season, it was a major surprise when Glasner decided to walk away from the VFL Arena and take over a Frankfurt side that collapsed in the final few weeks of 2020/21 to miss out on a seat at Europe’s top table.
That decision looked even more mystifying when you consider The Eagles are expected to lose a man who outscored Erling Haaland, finishing behind only Robocop Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga scoring charts.
In March, Calciomercato reported Arsenal had identified Portugal international Silva as a long-term replacement for Alexandre Lacazette at the Emirates.
A Jorge Mendes client, Silva has also been linked with – guess who? – Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as Premier League champions Manchester City.
Will Arsenal or Wolves sign Andre Silva?
And after scoring 28 goals in 32 matches last season, breaking a 45-year Frankfurt record in the process, it’s tempting to wonder whether Glasner is fighting a losing battle with Silva. Not that he’s going to accept defeat any time soon.
“Of course we are fighting to keep these players here,” Glasner said when discussing Silva and his jet-heeled teammate and assist-machine Filip Kostic.
“They are exceptionally good players, and each of them also knows what they have at the club. They know they are in very good hands here at an ambitious club.”
Silva and Kostic aren’t the only Frankfurt players linked with a big-money summer switch.
Skilful number ten Daichi Kamada – a man who burst on to the scene with a man of the match performance at Arsenal in the Europa League – is on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur.
Talented centre-back Evan Ndicka, meanwhile, has joined Silva on Mikel Arteta’s wish–list.
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