RB Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer explains how the sale of Dani Olmo to Barcelona highlights the success of the club's philosophy. "It is a perfect club for top young talents." But could it one day be enough to take them to the Bundesliga title and beyond?
Friday 20 September 2024 09:11, UK
When RB Leipzig sold Dani Olmo to Barcelona, they lost their best player, the man whose hat-trick had won them last year's German Supercup before going on to star for Spain at Euro 2024. But they gained more than just money from his departure.
Marcel Schafer, Leipzig's new sporting director, talks of Olmo's sale "confirming the philosophy" and it is easy to understand what he means. Olmo signed at 21, spent four-and-a-half seasons with the club, winning three trophies, before being sold for a profit.
His shirt has been handed to Norwegian teenager Antonio Nusa, a precocious talent brought in from Club Brugge. Nusa scored the winning goal on his Bundesliga debut against Bochum last month. At Leipzig, just as they planned it, the cycle continues.
Asked by Sky Sports if the Olmo example helps to convince Nusa and others, Schafer agrees. "It is not only Dani Olmo. It is Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and many more examples who were at Leipzig for a certain time," he explains.
"Players definitely want to come to Leipzig. They see huge potential. Six years in a row, the club has played in the Champions League, always with a very young team. It is a perfect club, not only in Germany, even in the whole of Europe, for top young talents.
"We are not sad about it, we are happy to bring Dani to his best level. Everyone saw it in the summer. He was absolutely one of the best players, a key player for Spain, outstanding moments in the tournament. And now we can help him go to Barcelona.
"This is exactly what Antonio Nusa and others see. It is not really a big thing to convince them because they know through Leipzig's history that we are the perfect club to help them for a certain time in their career and then bring them to the absolute top clubs."
Those others include Arthur Vermeeren, a 19-year-old midfielder from Atletico Madrid and Lutsharel Geertruida, a title winner under Arne Slot at Feyenoord, who is something of an outlier at the age of 24. In Leipzig terms, that qualifies him as almost a veteran.
"The strategy is to sign young, hungry, high potential players, but we even need players who have a little bit more experience, who help us to support the young players, especially on the pitch and even in the locker room, to help them to grow and to learn."
It is a strategy that has been refined over years now. "We always want young and hungry players because this is a philosophy." Olmo, Gvardiol, Szoboszlai and Nkunku have moved on but Europe's biggest clubs know where the next superstars are coming from.
Lois Openda had a magnificent first season at Leipzig, scoring 28 goals. There is Benjamin Sesko, the Slovenian striker who surprised some by signing a new contract. Xavi Simons has returned for a second season on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
"Xavi Simons was like Dani Olmo, one of the best players in Europe and one of the high potential stars of last summer. But he was very clear about his personal career plan. He wants to be a key player. He wants to be a leader to help him take the next step."
All of which helps to explain why players are so keen to join. Champions League opportunities for young players are to be cherished. Leipzig provide that platform. But the question of how they develop the players once in the building is just as significant.
"The most important part, if you want to work to develop young players every single day, is that you need a very good infrastructure," says Schafer. "We have it. If you see our infrastructure here, the pitches, the training facility, it is really on a high level."
He continues: "The second most important part is a good coaching staff and we have a very good head coach in Marco Rose." The former Borussia Dortmund boss has won silverware in each of his first two seasons, while qualifying for the Champions League.
"It is not only the head coach, it is the people around the team, our medical staff, our athletic team, even the cooks who prepare the meals and handle the players' nutrition. We have experts around the players to help them every single day to become better."
If there is a concern, it is the possibility that Leipzig's model has become so successful that others are seeking to emulate it. From the playing style to the multi-club structure, even the broader trend of investing in youth has become de rigueur. Schafer is relaxed.
"I think we have an advantage because we confirmed the philosophy for really several years. You will not find many clubs who produce or develop more top young talents than Leipzig and the other Red Bull clubs. So I think still we have a good advantage."
Schafer, who spent 17 years at Wolfsburg before making this move, is clearly relishing his new role. "Every single day I wake up with a smile even if it is sometimes raining a lot. It is a privilege to work in such a great environment." But there are still questions.
Leipzig would love to bring through a player of their own from the academy rather than rely on their remarkable recruitment. And then there is that perennial matter of progress. Is the plan always to sell the stars? Could they not keep them and win it all?
"We are realistic," adds Schafer. " We are all convinced there is the possibility to compete with very good teams in all competitions, even the Champions League. But there are maybe 10 more clubs in Europe who we know are maybe above us."
For now, the plan is to stick to the plan. "All the top young talents consider Leipzig. They have Leipzig in their focus." Like Olmo, these players are bound for the top. Whether they will one day still be wearing a Leipzig shirt when they get there, remain unclear.
Watch St Pauli vs RB Leipzig live on Sky Sports Football this Sunday; kick-off 6.30pm
