Arnaud Kalimuendo: Who is the prolific Parisian looking to take the Bundesliga by storm?
Arnaud Kalimuendo joined Eintracht Frankfurt only two days before their Matchday 16 clash with Borussia Dortmund, but still managed to make a big impression. However, despite a sublime assist to go with his exciting performance, the question remains: who is he?
Data correct as of 13 January 2026
Arnaud Kalimuendo
Age: 23 (born 20 January 2002)
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Striker
Country: France (33 caps/11 goals at U21 level)
Key stats
Kalimuendo grew up in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes and eventually joined Paris Saint-Germain’s academy in 2012.
He was quick to make a name for himself within their ranks, making his U19 debut for the club at the age of 16, where he played alongside the like of RB Leipzig defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu. His meteoric rise continued as he made his first-team debut for PSG in the 2020/21 season at the age of 18 under Thomas Tuchel, starting in a 1-0 defeat to RC Lens.
“I learned a lot alongside the great players we know like Neymar, Mbappé, Icardi, Cavani too,” Kalimuendo said on his time at the Paris giants. “I gained control in front of goal, that’s something I was trying to learn from them. When you meet these kinds of players, you pay attention to everything. It was something great for me as a young player.”
Watch: Kalimuendo's great debut
With first-team opportunities at star-studded PSG limited and Kalimuendo ready for men’s football, he headed out on loan to the side he made his debut against, Lens, in the winter transfer window.
He contributed seven goals and five assists in 28 league appearances in the second half of 2020/21, before scoring 12 times in 32 games the following campaign. Having proven his worth in Ligue 1, Kalimuendo departed his boyhood club on a permanent basis in the summer of 2022, joining a host of current Bundesliga stars at Stade Rennes, such as: current teammate Arthur Theate, Bayer Leverkusen trio Loïc Badé, Martin Terrier and Jeanuël Belocian, VfB Stuttgart’s Lorenz Assignon and VfL Wolfsburg’s Lovro Majer.
He spent three years there, scoring 40 goals in 112 games in all competitions, with his tally of 17 goals in 33 games in his final season seeing him finish just four short of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé in the top scorers' leaderboard.
His form caught the eye of Premier League side Nottingham Forest, who signed him ahead of the 2025/26 season. While he scored twice in the UEFA Europa League, he made just nine appearances from the bench from 21 Premier League games, and the French forward has joined Frankfurt in the hope of gaining more playing time.
Plays a bit like: Loïs Openda
Capable of playing as the main striker or in a supporting role, Kalimuendo combines his keen eye for goal with a rapid burst of pace and the ability to link play brilliantly, much like the former Leipzig goal-getter.
Did you know?
Leverkusen’s Badé was on the pitch for two major milestones of Kalimuendo’s – his senior debut and his first professional goal. Having joined Badé's Lens team on loan in the same season he made his senior PSG debut, the towering defender also started when he scored his first professional goal in a Coupe de France game against FC Nantes, which Lens won 4-2.
What they’re saying
“In Arnaud Kalimuendo, we’re signing a forward who, despite his young age, has performed at a consistently high level in Ligue 1. It was important for us that he was not only a very good fit in terms of the football he plays, but also in terms of his character.” - Frankfurt’s board member for sport, Markus Krösche
“We can look forward to someone who has real quality." - Frankfurt boss, Dino Toppmöller
“He is a player who always thinks about the team… he has a very interesting profile in terms of movement quality, mobility, the spaces he can open up for his teammates.” - Former Rennes manager, Julian Stéphan
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