In May of last year, Kevin Trapp helped Eintracht to crown it in the Europa League - and thus massively increased its market value. Now it is clear: The World Cup participant wants to stay longer.
Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) - In a gray jacket and with a broad grin, Kevin Trapp had himself photographed as he clarified his much-discussed future. The national goalkeeper sees his sporting future not with England's top club Manchester United or with Germany's record champions FC Bayern Munich, but with Eintracht Frankfurt. Trapp has extended his contract with the Hessian Europa League winners, which runs until 2024, by two more years until June 30, 2026. The contract also includes the option to extend it by another year, as the Bundesliga club announced on Friday.
"Kevin Trapp is an absolute identification figure and stands for Eintracht Frankfurt like no other. His outstanding goalkeeping, but also his personality make him an indispensable part of our team and our club," said sporting director Markus Krösche about the 32-year-old. In his opinion, you now have "the strongest German goalkeeper in the long term" between the posts.
Trapp is a face of Eintracht's success in recent years. With performances such as the 3-2 win at FC Barcelona or in the Europa League final against Glasgow Rangers, the native of the Saarland also attracted international attention. That's why the "Red Devils" knocked on the door in the summer - and received a rebuff. This winter, the name Trapp was repeatedly traded as a replacement for Manuel Neuer in Munich because the German number one was seriously injured after the World Cup. In the end, however, Gladbach's Yann Sommer went to Bayern.
Now Trapp, whom head coach Oliver Glasner praised to the skies on Thursday and casually described as a "sexy goalkeeper", has taken a position. "Everyone knows how much this club means to me and that I feel at home in Frankfurt," said Trapp. "We've already experienced a lot together and still have a lot planned. The club's ambitions coincide one hundred percent with mine." Frankfurt is playing in the Champions League for the first time this season and is on course to reach the top European club competition again in the Bundesliga.
At the traditional Hessian club, Trapp should also have a perspective beyond his sporting career. "It is important for the club to retain identification figures for longer and to transfer awareness of the special features of Eintracht to future generations of players within the team," said Krösche, who is building the framework for the Eintracht team of the future.
Trapp has played a total of 282 competitive games for Frankfurt since 2012. He wore the shirt of French giants Paris Saint-Germain from 2015 to 2018 before returning first on loan and then permanently to Eintracht. So far he has played six international matches for the German national team.
