Wolves confirmed this morning that Sasa Kalajdzic has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, with the Bundesliga club reportedly waiting ‘years’ to sign a player with his traits and skill set.
The 26-year-old has temporarily departed Molineux and will return to the German top division for the duration of the 2023/24 season.
Gary O’Neil was unwilling to give the star regular minutes, despite the fact that Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan were virtually untouchable.
Kalajdzic could have seen more action if Wolves had been chasing games and needed a goal.
But the management didn’t appear to like him, and the decision to loan him out was taken quickly, with sporting director Matt Hobbs citing ‘the human side’ as a factor.
Eintracht are overjoyed to have him, claiming that they’ve been looking for someone like him for a long time…
Why Eintracht Frankfurt is overjoyed to sign Wolves’ Sasa Kalajdzic
As Wolves fans are aware, Kalajdzic is a one-of-a-kind player.
The star stands 6ft 7in tall, making him a formidable aerial threat and difficult to contain. He is not as explosive as Cunha and Hwang, preferring to hold the ball and bring others into play.
Eintracht have waited ‘years’ for a player like him, according to Bild. The club has struggled to replace Sebastien Haller, who left to join West Ham United in 2019, and Bas Dost.
The Frenchman, 6ft 3in, and Dutchman Dost, 6ft 5in, both brought similar traits to Kalajdzic, and the Germans have missed having a big man up front.
According to Bild, Eintracht is now the “weakest team in the league” when it comes to crosses. They have barely put in 110 minutes so far, with only two goals. In the post-Haller period, Eintracht appear to have played differently for ex-players Rafael Santos Borré and Randall Kolo Muani, as well as current striker Omar Marmoush, who are all better with their feet.
Best wishes, Sasa
It’s fascinating to learn how much Eintracht wanted Kalajdzic.
They clearly perceive the £35,000-a-week player as someone who can add various traits to their team, and perhaps they will now try to play differently.
Hopefully, this move will be a success for Kalajdzic, who has had a difficult 18-month injury nightmare.
Euro 2024 is coming up this summer, and he needs to be playing consistently in order to compete. It was the proper decision for him to depart because O’Neill appeared hesitant to use him, and maybe he can score some goals now, in a division he certainly knows well from his time with Stuttgart.
