Raphael Onyedika: Frankfurt explain 'non physical' reason for signing Super Eagles ace

Eintracht Frankfurt board member for sport Markus Krösche has outlined the strategic reasoning behind the club's successful pursuit of Nigeria international Raphael Onyedika.

The Bundesliga outfit officially secured the 25-year-old defensive midfielder from Club Brugge on a five-year contract running until June 2031, and Krosche provided some insight into their decision to pursue the Nigerian. 

Frankfurt finalised the transfer by submitting an improved initial offer of €9 million to aggressively fend off a late intervention from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The financial package includes performance-related bonuses capable of taking the total fee to €10 million, completing a chase that spanned multiple transfer windows.

Krösche emphasised that the club went all out for the midfielder because his strategic understanding of the game and physical profile perfectly align with the squad's restructuring project.

“Raphael Onyedika has not only impressed us with his physicality and strategic understanding of the game, but above all with his extraordinary consistency,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche, per the club's website. 

“He has been a regular starter in recent years and has won numerous trophies in Belgium. He also boasts valuable international experience. At 25, he still has great potential and is an important building block in terms of the structure of our squad.”

The recruitment team factored in Onyedika's pedigree with the Super Eagles, where he has accumulated 26 senior caps and secured a runner-up medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Nigerian arrives in Germany following an extraordinarily successful four-season stint with Club Brugge.

During his tenure in Belgium between 2022 and 2026, Onyedika notably secured two Belgian Pro League titles during the 2023/24 and 2025/26 campaigns.

He further enriched his trophy cabinet by lifting the 2024/25 Belgian Cup and the 2025 Belgian Super Cup while accumulating 183 appearances across all competitions for the Blauw-Zwart.