The French striker struggled to make an impact in the first half of the season with Nottingham Forest, but has shown promise in the Bundesliga.
Arnaud Kalimuendo needed less than a minute against Werder Bremen to make an impact. Nathaniel Brown’s header found the French striker in the box, and Kalimuendo flicked the ball over goalkeeper Mio Backhaus to put Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 up over Werder Bremen after only 51 seconds.
Despite the quick start, Eintracht Frankfurt did not beat Bremen. Algeria star Farès Chaïbi had a chance to put the game to bed and to make it 3-1, with impressive hold-up play by Kalimuendo leading to the great chance. However, Chaïbi’s shot went wide, and Bremen scored twice more, although Frankfurt ultimately earned a 3-3 draw after a dramatic 94th-minute equalizer.
The draw was only Kalimuendo’s third appearance for Frankfurt, but you wouldn’t guess it from his performances so far.
In August, Kalimuendo joined Nottingham Forest after three strong years with Stade Rennais. Forest, managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, qualified for the Europa League and were looking to add another scoring threat. Kalimuendo, coming off a career-high 17 goals in Ligue 1, was their guy.
“What can [the fans] expect?” said Kalimuendo in an interview with the club’s YouTube channel. “Above all, what I was signed for, scoring goals.”
It didn’t quite work out that way. Nuno left only three weeks after Kalimuendo joined, and Sean Dyche took over. Despite strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Chris Wood dealing with injuries, Kalimuendo struggled for minutes. The Frenchman made only three starts in the Europa League and none in the Premier League.
Instead, Brazilian Igor Jesus became the main source of goals, and in January, Frankfurt came calling. Despite — or perhaps because of — the fact that Sean Dyche wanted to strengthen up top, the offer was seen as too good to turn down.
Frankfurt have a reputation as being a striker factory. Luka Jović and Sébastien Haller started the trend in 2019, making big moves to Real Madrid and West Ham, respectively. André Silva, who had previously flopped in Milan, was next. Omar Marmoush joined on a free transfer and became a star in Frankfurt, leading to his eventual Manchester City move.
It doesn’t hurt that Die Adler have had great recent success with French strikers, either.
Randal Kolo Muani joined for free from FC Nantes in 2022. Within a few months, he was a part of France’s World Cup squad; at the end of the season, he made a massive move to PSG. Hugo Ekitiké initially rejected a move to Frankfurt as Kolo Muani’s replacement, leading to his banishment from the PSG squad. When January came, Ekitiké didn’t make the same mistake twice. Now he’s a France international playing for Liverpool.
This January, between injuries and underperformances, Frankfurt needed to reload their attack. Kalimuendo offered a golden opportunity to sign a player the club had reportedly long had an interest in. Elye Wahi, a rare example of an expensive striker who did not work out at the club, was loaned to OGC Nice. Days later, Kalimuendo joined on loan with an option to buy.
He immediately repaid the favor on his debut, coming off the bench and finding Younes Ebnoutalib with a well-placed through ball to equalize against Borussia Dortmund. Frankfurt again settled for a draw, but the new signings showed promise.
Unfortunately, Ebountalib, who had himself joined in January from SV Elversberg, picked up an injury in Frankfurt’s next game, a 3-2 loss to VfB Stuttgart. As a result, the attack — statistically the second best in Germany — has been heavily reliant on Kalimuendo.
That was especially apparent against Bremen. In the first half, Kalimuendo’s opener was the lone shot on target for Die Adler. The French striker seemed isolated at times, although he did well to bring his teammates into the match with his hold-up play and passing when he got the ball. Had Chaïbi scored that crucial chance, Kalimuendo’s set-up pass to Can Uzun would’ve been a big reason why.
Frankfurt settled for a lucky 3-3 draw in the end, with the same defensive problems that have plagued them all season coming back. Their French striker, however, was a bright spot and has been since joining.
That’s not to say Kalimuendo’s start has been perfect. He had two good chances to find an equalizer against Stuttgart, but was denied on both occasions by Alexander Nübel. His strike in the opening minute against Bremen was his only shot of the game, although Frankfurt struggled to create chances for him.
Still, Kalimuendo now has more league goals in Germany than he did in four months in England. He’s gelling well with some teammates, his movement and passing have been great, and he should become even more dangerous when the injured Jonathan Burkardt and Ebnoutalib return to action. His chapter in Nottingham might be over already, but his time in Frankfurt is only beginning.
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Image via en.eintracht.de.
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