With his number six and seven goals of the season, Rayan Philippe didn’t single-handedly give Eintracht Braunschweig three points last weekend, but without the French attacker they probably wouldn’t have achieved a 3-1 win against Hamburger SV.
As has been the case for around a year, when Philippe finally arrived in Braunschweig after a few weeks of warm-up time and only as a result of the coaching change from Jens Härtel to Daniel Scherning, the 23-year-old once again proved to be life insurance for Eintracht, which thanks to the success against the HSV can spend the international break on the safe shore.
Philippe himself, whose seven goals in the league are only surpassed by Darmstadt’s Isac Lidberg (9) and Karlsruhe’s Budu Zivzivadze (8), is now increasingly in the spotlight. So much so that saying goodbye to Braunschweig by next summer at the latest is now considered almost certain. Although Eintracht can extend the contract, which expires at the end of the season, by one year if they stay in the league, it is not expected that Philippe will play in the second division again in 2025/26.
A difficult decision lies ahead
Rather, the extremely fast attacker is likely to be heavily underlined in the notepad, especially at higher-class clubs that prefer quick switching games. And perhaps not just with a view to the summer, but also in the winter, when Bundesliga teams in danger of relegation will try to bring in reinforcements that suit their style of play.
In this case, those responsible in Braunschweig would have to make a difficult decision. If Eintracht turns down a high transfer fee in the winter and ends up relegated with Philippe, the likely result would be a free transfer. On the other hand, selling Philippe would certainly not increase the chances of staying in the league and in the event of relegation, TV income would decline so much that a winter transfer income would only be a drop in the ocean – apart from the fact that, if the worst comes to the worst, it would certainly be in one Replacement would be invested.
Either way, Philippe’s personality will not be finally assessed until May. If the former French national team player packs his things but first celebrates relegation with Eintracht, the pain of saying goodbye could at least be bearable to some extent.
More news about Eintracht Braunschweig? Then feel free to follow our new one BTSV page on Facebook!
