Mahmoud Dahoud’s Resurgence at Eintracht Frankfurt

omidbasir- Among the Eintracht Frankfurt players being deliberately transitioned out this summer, Mahmoud Dahoud’s journey seemed poised for another disappointing chapter. Since his ill-fated move to Brighton in the summer of 2023, the former German international has encountered a series of setbacks.

Following his tenure with Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund, Dahoud struggled to establish himself at Brighton and was subsequently loaned back to VfB Stuttgart during the latter half of the 2023/24 season. Although he made an impact as a substitute, scoring a goal, he only secured one starting position under head coach Sebastian Hoeneß.

After his contract with Brighton was terminated at the season’s end, Dahoud joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in the summer of 2024. His arrival was marked by an emotional press conference, during which he reaffirmed his commitment to the German national team, moving on from a brief stint representing Syria.

Dahoud soon began to earn regular playing time under SGE head coach Dino Toppmöller. Following a standout performance against VfL Bochum on matchday nine, where he scored a goal and provided an assist, both Toppmöller and sporting director Markus Krösche expressed their admiration for him. However, this promising phase turned out to be a misleading start, as Dahoud only made two additional league starts after that match and appeared briefly as a substitute on three occasions throughout the 2025 calendar year.

After receiving clearance to leave and not making an impact during training camp, Dahoud was included in only one of Toppmöller’s initial seven matchday squads this season. However, he unexpectedly emerged as a midfield starter against Mainz on matchday 10.

Following his recent appearance against Köln, where he played confidently as a “solo six” midfielder and scored his 14th career Bundesliga goal, reporters noted an eerie sense of déjà vu surrounding his resurgence.

Echoing sentiments from just over a year prior, both Krösche and Toppmöller once again commended Dahoud with high praise. Whether this latest resurgence will prove to be a lasting turnaround remains to be seen.

Regardless, it appears that Dahoud is set to receive more opportunities. Toppmöller noted, “He deserves it because he has simply kept at it over the last few months and has always been there for the whole group, despite his difficult situation. He always gave his all in training and never backed down. His performance against Mainz was commendable, and it was particularly satisfying to see him achieve this success.”

Krösche also remarked, “He’s faced challenging periods in his career before and has learned to navigate them. That resilience serves him well. He’s consistently put in maximum effort and made himself available. Now, he’s finally been given his chance.”