He may be an unknown name to many Premier League fans, but Crystal Palace target Filip Kostic is one of the most exciting players in Germany right now.
This season, he has 12 goals and 12 assists already in all competitions, which comes after he managed 10 and 13 respectively last season as well.
Whilst Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic were all allowed to depart Eintracht Frankfurt for pastures new last summer, the Serbia international was kept at the German outfit despite being the subject of a €40m (£33.6m) offer from Internazionale, Bild (via bulinews.com).
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Of course, his form has not gone unnoticed by clubs across Europe, and according to one report Premier League side Crystal Palace are said to be interested in him, per The Sun (print edition, February 23rd, page 63).
But what have those in the know had to say about Kostic?
Adi Hutter, Eintracht Frankfurt manager
The Eagles will have felt it would be difficult to replace Niko Kovac after he was poached by Bayern Munich, but Hutter has done a good job in doing so.
He guided them to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, as well as a seventh place finish in the Bundesliga.
Following Kostic’s brace against RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal earlier this month, he said per FR:
“He plays football like no other: with incredible dynamism, with incredible assertiveness.”
Frankfurt have almost become synonymous with Kostic’s busting runs down the left flank, and Hutter’s reliance on the former Hamburg man is clear for all to see – he has missed just 207 minutes in all competitions this campaign.
Kevin Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper
The 29-year-old is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Bundesliga – only Yann Sommer (76%) has a better save percentage ratio than Trapp’s 70.4% in the league this term amongst the number one goalkeepers – and he has Champions League experience with PSG as well. He said of Kostic, per FR:
“He doesn’t shy away. He is a mentality monster.”
He has proven time and time again that he is a man for the big occasion – he managed those two goals against Leipzig, as previously mentioned, whilst he has also scored against Die Rotenbullen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Evan N’Dicka, Eintracht Frankfurt defender
Following the winter pause, N’Dicka has been moved to left-back to cover for Kostic, who has been given the licence to bomb forward. His role is now to cover for the attacker, but that does not seem to be a problem for the Frenchman. Speaking about his left-sided partner he said, per Hessenschau:
“He is a buffalo. You get the feeling that he can do everything alone.”
With Kostic being such a vital part of Frankfurt’s attacking play, he desperately needs someone to be able to take over the majority of his defensive duties, and it has worked wonders so far – Kostic already has six goals and two assists since January 18th. As long as the two can continue to work in tandem, everything is possible for the Eagles this season.
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