Eintracht Frankfurt Sign Potential Evan Ndicka Replacement

Eintracht Frankfurt has signed Willian Pacho from the Belgian club Royal Antwerp. Pacho will join the Bundesliga club in the summer and has signed a contract until 2028. According to reports from Germany and Belgium, Frankfurt has paid €9 million ($9.8 million) 21-year-old Ecuadorian national team player. The deal can grow to €15 million ($16.35 million) once all bonuses are met.

It is a significant transfer for both sides. According to Transfermarkt, Pacho is the most expensive outgoing transfer in Antwerp’s history. At Frankfurt, Pacho will share first place as the most expensive defender signed with club legend Martin Hinteregger. In fact, once Pacho has met all his clauses, only striker Luka Jović will have been more expensive among Frankfurt’s transfer arrivals.

“It’s an important transfer for us for the coming season,” director of sports Markus Krösche said in a club statement. “Willian is still young, but he already has experience on the international stage. His speed and strength in the tackle are what make him stand out. We’re pleased that he’s decided to join Eintracht, and we’d like to further develop his huge potential.”

The arrival of the Ecuadorian national team player, in fact, highlights that another key player could soon announce his departure. French defender Evan Ndicka will see his contract expire at the end of the season, and the 23-year-old is increasingly being linked with a move to Liverpool.

Frankfurt’s recent rise within German football has been well documented, and a big part of the success has been the ability to be one step ahead of the development. Moving for players before they become big stars was already established under former director of sport Fredi Bobic; Krösche has since done well to not only continue that strategy but also refine it.

Despite paying a significant fee for Frankfurt standards, Pacho could turn out to be a steal in the grand scheme of things. A glimpse at the Ecuadorian’s market value development highlights that Pacho has been a player on the up. The defender was signed for just €2.87 million ($3 million) by Antwerp from Independiente del Valle in January 2022. Since then, the defender has increased his market value from $2.4 million to now $9.8 million—a remarkable development that is unlikely to stop soon.

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It, therefore, made sense for Frankfurt to react now and sign the player before the summer market opens. From a stylistic point of view, Pacho, too, seems a perfect replacement should Ndicka indeed leave.

A quick glance at Wyscout underlines this further. With the caveat that Pacho is not playing in a top-four league, the Ecuadorian compares quite well to Frankfurt’s French defender. Pacho has committed to 6.26 defensive duels this season, and Ndicka to 6.38. That number is similar, but Pacho wins more of his duels, 72.62$% vs. 60.43%. Ndicka has been a bit better in the air, however. Both players have had 3.45 aerial duels per 90 minutes this season, but Ndicka won 59.84% and Pacho 55.4%—a marginal difference.

Another thing that stands out is that Pacho is a bit of a cleaner player than Ndicka. While Ndicka has committed 1.03 fouls per 90 minutes, Pacho has been caught just 0.7 times with an infraction. That’s despite the fact that Pacho had more sliding tackles than Ndicka per 90 minutes (0.3 vs. 0.24).

Again all those numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt. Pacho is playing for a weaker team, and Ndicka’s numbers also include significant playing time in the Champions League. Nonetheless, the numbers highlight why Frankfurt has acted now to sign the defender.

Pacho, too, seems to be excited about the challenge. “I like the Bundesliga; it’s always been a dream of mine to play here one day,” Pacho said in a club statement. “I was interested as soon as I heard from the club. That was one of the reasons why I really wanted to join Eintracht. I’m very happy with my decision.”

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth