Winning a title in all five of Europe’s top leagues is something that Niels Nkounkou can only dream of at the moment. Someone who has done precisely that, however, with another four UEFA Champions League trophies to his name, is Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian was head coach at Everton from December 2019 to June 2021, and during that time, he persuaded a 19-year-old lad who was plying his trade in Olympique Marseille’s reserves to join the Toffees. But we need to start at the beginning…
Niels Patrick Nkounkou was born in Pontoise, a suburb of Paris, and after early stints at Rouen, Entente Sannois Saint-Gratien and Stade Brestois, he found himself at Marseille in 2017. He was a talented youngster and a highly promising left-back but, at just 17 years old, not yet ready to cut his teeth in Ligue 1, and a corresponding contract offer also failed to materialise. After talks with Ancelotti, however, Nkounkou headed north to join English Premier League outfit Everton.
Back to his French roots
He made his debut in England’s top flight on 1 November 2020 in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, but failed to establish himself in the Premier League. The solution was a series of loan deals: first to Standard Liege for the 2021/22 season, where he saw plenty of game time and made 28 appearances. In 2022/23 he joined Cardiff City, playing 19 times, then in January 2023 he went to AS Saint-Étienne in Ligue 2, and it was in central France that he finally made his breakthrough.
Steady rise
In 21 appearances for Les Verts, 20 of them in the starting line-up, Nkounkou scored six goals and set up another eight, playing in a more offensive role. This led to a permanent deal for the then French U21 international, who had climbed through his country’s ranks in the U18s and U19 and played at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
This summer, Eintracht Frankfurt came calling, with Nkounkou penning a deal that will keep him with the Eagles until 2028. He has already made a name for himself, scoring the all-important equaliser in a 1-1 draw on his Bundesliga debut against 1. FC Köln. “It was a dream outcome for me, I couldn’t have imagined it going any better,” the Frenchman said after the match. “What I need to do at Eintracht is work hard and get myself in a position to be a regular starter.”
Board member for sport Markus Krösche and sporting director Timmo Hardung are already convinced of the 22-year-old’s qualities: “We kept an eye on Niels Nkounkou throughout the second half of last season and now we’re delighted that he’s signed for Eintracht. He’s a highly talented player who stands out thanks to his dynamism, assertiveness and determination. Those characteristics will help our game, especially in his position.”
