“The ideal next step”

Arthur Theate on ...

… his Bundesliga debut in Dortmund: “It felt good, even if we unfortunately didn’t manage to bring home the three points – after all, that’s what counts in football. At the end of the day, Dortmund came away with the win. We defended well and showed a good mindset, and that’s exactly what we will have to do all over again at the weekend, as well as scoring goals, and that will make the difference. I want to give it my all. I’m not perfect, but the most important thing is always to leave everything out there.”

… his move to Frankfurt: “Eintracht have won trophies and are a club with a great history and incredible fans. I wanted to come to the Bundesliga – for me, it’s the ideal next step. I’ve fully bought into the project, and the conditions here are perfect. An important factor in my move was also that I can still be very close to my family, as Frankfurt isn’t that far from Belgium. My first impressions of Eintracht are very good, and everyone here has made me feel so welcome – that’s something I’m very grateful for.”

… his preferred position: “I’ll play where the coach wants me to – full-back or in the centre, back three or back four. I’ll adapt and give it my best. Obviously there are things that I want to improve – no player is perfect. The Bundesliga – like any league – will show me new facets to the game and I’ll be working hard on those.”

… the team: “There’s such a great atmosphere here. We’ve got a young team with real potential. To achieve great things, you need people with the right mindset, and that’s exactly what we have here. Everyone’s working hard and we all help one another out.”

… his first match at Deutsche Bank Park: “I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve already seen and heard so much about the fans. Even when things aren’t quite going to plan, they stick behind the team, and that enables us to give it 150 per cent.”

… forthcoming opponents TSG Hoffenheim: “Hoffenheim have got a good team and are playing in Europe. It’ll be a tough match, but you don’t tend to get easy ones in the Bundesliga anyway. I think it’s really tough for other sides to come here to Frankfurt and get a result. We need to leave everything out on the pitch and we’re looking to bag the three points ahead of the international break.”