Three Eintracht players – Ragnar Ache, Igor Matanovic and Antonio Foti – are currently plying their trade in Bundesliga 2. Ali Akman is trying his luck at home in Turkey, while Jens Petter Hauge is competing for European football for his side in Belgium.
Ache on the up
Ache went out on loan to SpVgg Greuther Fürth last June, with the forward agreeing to a 12-month stint with the Bundesliga 2 side two years after moving to Frankfurt from Sparta Rotterdam. The 24-year-old has appeared in all 17 league games for Fürth so far this season, 13 of them from the start, managing two goals and two assists in that time.
Matanovic a regular
Matanovic is also getting plenty of playing time with second-tier side FC St. Pauli. In 15 matches for the club which currently sits 16th in the league, the striker has set up three goals. Matanovic will return to Eintracht in July 2023 and will be looking to establish himself in the first-team squad.
Hauge still in Europe
Hauge made his move from AC Milan to Eintracht a permanent one in the summer, and was then sent out on loan for a year to KAA Gent. The 23-year-old has helped his current side to fifth in the Jupiler Pro League, within touching distance of the Champions League and Europa League play-off spots.
The Norwegian has made 11 appearances for the Buffalos in domestic league and cup competitions combined, with another five in the UEFA Europa Conference League, playing his part in getting Gent through to the knockout phase in February, when they will face Qarabağ FK. Hauge has registered five assists in all competitions.
Akman and Foti waiting for opportunities
Akman moved back home to Turkey last summer, and has gone on to make 11 league and two cup appearances for second-tier side Göztepe Izmir. Most of those have been from the substitutes’ bench and he has yet to score his first goal for the club, with whom he is on loan until the end of the season.
Foti, meanwhile, has 18 months of his loan spell still to go with Hannover 96. The 19-year-old Frankfurt youth product has been sent out to get some playing time under his belt while also learning the ropes in men’s football. The Cypriot has made five appearances for the ambitious second-tier side thus far, scoring one goal and setting up. 96 go into the second half of the campaign in fifth place.
