How Leipzig became 'perfect' destination for Europe's young stars

Fresh from a summertime projecting himself arsenic 1 of Europe's finest playmakers, nan nonaccomplishment of Dani Olmo whitethorn good person sparked interest astatine RB Leipzig.

Instead, nan Bundesliga nine celebrated nan transportation arsenic confirmation of a accuracy that has seen them look arsenic nan go-to destination for young talent.

Olmo's departure successful a £51m deal for La Liga giants Barcelona followed a victorious Euro 2024 run pinch Spain, successful which he vanished arsenic associated top-scorer and came connected nan backmost of 4 promising years astatine nine level successful Leipzig, having joined nan nine from Dinamo Zagreb.

He joins a stellar database of names to person been recruited by nan club, aliases nan wider Red Bull model, developed and sold connected for patient profit.

It is nan 4th clip successful 2 years Leipzig person banked much than £50m connected a player, pinch midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai joining Liverpool, guardant Christopher Nkunku moving to Chelsea and defender Josko Gvardiol signing for Manchester City - nan club's grounds waste astatine £77m.

For Marcel Schafer - nan RB Leipzig managing head of athletics who joined from Wolfsburg successful nan summertime - nan waste of Olmo, on pinch that of 24-year-old defender Mohamed Simakan to Saudi Arabian broadside Al-Nassr for £29m, presented an opportunity alternatively than a setback.

In came highly-touted 19-year-old winger Antonio Nusa, teenage midfield prospects Assan Ouedraogo and Arthur Vermeeren, initially connected loan, 22-year-old goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt and 24-year-old defender Lutsharel Geertruida - each for a mixed £30m little than this summer's sales.

"My emotion aft nan first transportation model was nan players decidedly want to travel to Leipzig because they saw truthful galore examples successful nan past," explains Schafer.

"It is not only Dani Olmo, it is Josko Gvardiol, it is Szoboszlai, it is Nkunku, and truthful galore much examples.

"They spot precisely that this nine has a immense potential, is simply a cleanable club, not only successful Germany, but successful nan full of Europe for young, apical talents."

It is not that Leipzig simply want to create talented players to past waste them, they judge their methods tin beryllium - and person been - successful.

The nine person won nan German Cup twice, reached nan Champions League semi-finals and will footwear disconnected their sixth successive run successful nan title astatine Atletico Madrid connected Thursday.

Quickly scaling nan German shot pyramid pursuing Red Bull's takeover successful 2009, they person only vanished extracurricular nan apical 4 erstwhile successful 8 Bundesliga seasons and doubly ended arsenic runners-up.

"We are confirming it each azygous summertime successful each transportation window, we are nan cleanable nine for young players, to thief them for a definite clip successful their profession and past to bring them to perfectly apical clubs," says Schafer.

"Because we are realistic, we person immense potential, we are each convinced present that we person nan anticipation to compete pinch very, very bully teams successful each our competitions. But location are possibly 10 much clubs successful Europe, we cognize they are possibly supra us.

"But this is precisely our strategy, our philosophy. So, for example, Dani Olmo - everyone present astatine nan nine was very happy that Dani made nan measurement because it helps america to get nan adjacent young, top, apical talents."

Other apical income see Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano to Liverpool and Bayern Munich, who for illustration Szoboszlai joined from Red Bull Salzburg.

There is an statement that were Leipzig capable to bent connected to their apical talents they could section an incredibly beardown team, but location are nary plans to alteration strategy.

"Sometimes you request to see nan position of a player," adds Schafer. "If you support a subordinate aliases artifact a subordinate erstwhile he has a chance to spell to Real Madrid aliases FC Barcelona, is he still nan aforesaid subordinate successful nan adjacent year? Does he still person nan aforesaid mindset?

"If a subordinate wants to leave, if nan economical portion is OK for each nan parties, you decidedly request to see it arsenic a nine for illustration Leipzig because we ever want young and quiet players.

"We don't deliberation it's only, 'we request to support each nan players for 5 to 10 years and we'll triumph everything' - we don't deliberation for illustration that."

RB Leipzig did clasp 2 of nan astir promising 21-year-olds successful European shot successful Netherlands world Xavi Simons and Slovenia guardant Benjamin Sesko.

Simons returned connected indebtedness for different play from Paris St-Germain, pinch Schafer calling him "one of nan champion players successful Europe" past summertime and "an astonishing awesome for everyone that we arsenic a nine achieved nan adjacent level".

"He was very clear astir his individual profession plan, he wants to beryllium a cardinal player, he wants to beryllium a leader, to do for him nan adjacent step," adds nan 40-year-old. "And afterwards, everything is imaginable for him.

"He decidedly embodies what we arsenic a nine are - nary limits, we tin scope everything.

"About adjacent summer, it is difficult to say. But of course, it is our extremity not only to waste each nan champion players, moreover to support our champion players."

Sesko, meanwhile, scored 18 goals past play aft arriving from Salzburg and signed a caller woody successful June amid reported liking from Arsenal.

"He is successful my sentiment a complete striker," says Schafer. "He is tall, he is quick, he has a bully header. Left and correct foot, he is bully successful shooting. We request to activity pinch him a small spot connected his first touch. That is thing location is abstraction for potential.

"He has everything a apical striker successful nan world needs. He has a bully mindset but he needs to support it, he needs to support nan hunger, he needs to support nan attraction to activity very hard, earlier training sessions, aft training sessions, to support successful attraction his health, his assemblage and everything else.

"He has everything and we want to thief him to execute precisely this level his imaginable is."

Naturally, different clubs person tried to instrumentality akin recruitment models, but Schafer believes Leipzig's grounds keeps them up of nan curve.

"You will not find galore clubs who produced aliases developed much apical talents than Leipzig and different Red Bull clubs," adds nan erstwhile Germany international.

"So I deliberation still we person a bully advantage. But we ever request to beryllium careful, of course, we ever request to put successful nan squad astir nan team, we ever request to put successful our infrastructure."

Ralf Rangnick was nan designer of Leipzig's rise, his thirst for innovative ideas matching Red Bull's, and Schafer says nan club's awesome accommodation supply nan level for nan young prospects they enlistee to scope their potential.

"For me, nan astir important portion if you want to activity and create young players each azygous day, you request a very bully infrastructure, we person it - nan pitches, nan training facilities, it is really connected a precocious standard," he explains.

"The 2nd astir important portion is you request a bully coaching staff, we person a very bully caput coach pinch Marco Rose.

"All nan group astir nan team, that intends our aesculapian staff, our diversion team, moreover nan cooks who hole meals, nan champion measurement to grip nutrition etc.

"We person experts astir nan players to thief them each azygous time to go a amended player, connected and disconnected nan pitch."

Perhaps surprisingly, 1 area Leipzig person struggled is producing their ain young players via nan club's academy.

The purpose is to alteration that and nan emergence of Viggo Gebel, a 16-year-old midfielder calved successful Leipzig who made his debut this season, is seen arsenic a positive.

"He is simply a bully illustration of really we tin grip nan future, but we person to beryllium honorable pinch ourselves," says Schafer.

"We invested a lot, we worked a batch successful nan academy, but nan astir important point is not a title aliases winning games - this is conscionable a portion of processing a winning mentality.

"This is location we person immense imaginable and everybody has to attraction a small spot much connected it. It is decidedly our extremity to bring immoderate players from our Leipzig academy into our first team, not only bringing young, hungry, high-potential players from extracurricular to Leipzig."