Frankfurt loan Smolčić out to Linz

A little over two years since joining Germany's RheinMain Adler from Croatia's HNK Rijeka, central defender Hrvoje Smolčić has been unable to crack the Eintracht Frankfurt XI. The 23-year-old has made just 20 Bundesliga appearances for the SGE over the past two years. Eintracht confirmed a loan-out for him on Monday evening. LASK Linz will take Smolčić on loan for the coming season with an option to buy. Smolčić is the second loan out confirmed by Frankfurt in the last three days. Defender Elias Baum was also taken off the SGE roster with a loan to Elversberg on Saturday.

Smolčić has shown flashes of his potential this year across a total of 18 appearances across all competitions. The center back even scored his inaugural Bundesliga goal against SV Werder Bremen on match-day 11. Eintracht sporting CEO Markus Krösche made clear in his club statement that the player's German parent club still respected his abilities and will be keeping a close eye on him in the Austrian Bundesliga. 

"Eintracht Frankfurt was Hrvoje Smolčić's first stop abroad, and he has continued to develop with us over the past two years," Krösche noted, "He is a strong player in terms of technique, tackling and heading, who always puts himself at the service of the team in. He is still young and should take the next step in his development in Linz in the coming season. regular playing time is extremely important for this."

"I can hardly wait to play for LASK," the player himself added, "I had already heard a lot of positive things about the club and was extremely impressed when I came to the Raiffeisen Arena for the first time. It's impressive what has been created here in recent years. I'm really looking forward to my new role and will do everything I can to help the team in the best possible way with my qualities."