Adi Hütter has thrown his support behind Kauã Santos by confirming the goalkeeper will start for Eintracht Frankfurt in Friday’s DFB-Pokal first-round tie against SC St. Tönis. The decision comes just days after the Brazilian endured a difficult afternoon in a 7-0 friendly defeat to Brentford.
The heavy loss to the Premier League side had sparked reports suggesting Frankfurt had lost faith in their number one and were seeking a replacement. However, Hütter has opted to hand Santos an immediate opportunity to rebuild his confidence in competitive action.
“We will go into Friday’s game with Santos and then we’ll see what happens in the future,” the Austrian coach said at a press conference on Wednesday. The cup fixture offers the 22-year-old a platform to put the Brentford disappointment behind him and reaffirm his status as first choice.
Hütter refused to discuss potential transfer targets when questioned about the club’s plans to strengthen the position. He insisted his “complete attention” remains on the current squad, who he believes “need to be clearly supported and strengthened” during this period.
Despite the one-sided result against Brentford, Hütter stressed that Frankfurt’s pre-season performances have largely pleased him. “I want to highlight that as well,” he added, suggesting the thrashing was an outlier rather than evidence of systemic defensive problems.
Friday’s encounter presents an opportunity for Santos to register a clean sheet and restore morale ahead of the Bundesliga campaign. The outcome could prove pivotal in determining whether Frankfurt enter the market for a new goalkeeper or stick with their existing options.