![]() ![]() Leipzig will certainly be competitive on Wednesday evening. “My philosophy is that you need, year on year, new voices, new profiles, just to stimulate the group, just to keep the group competitive,” Mitchell told The Athletic last week. The work in the transfer market, which has been led by former Southampton and Tottenham head of recruitment Paul Mitchell since February 2018, has given Nagelsmann a youthful, talented and hungry group of players to mould. Nkunku has impressed for Leipzig recently (via Getty Images) With their first team already based around previous finds such as striker Timo Werner (23), centre-back Dayot Upamecano (21) and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer (25), Leipzig have bolstered their squad in keeping with their recruitment philosophy in the last year.Įverton forward Ademola Lookman (22), Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Christopher Nkunku (22), Salzburg midfielder Hannes Wolf (20) and Roma forward Patrik Schick (24) all arrived in the summer transfer window, while Dinamo Zagreb’s highly-rated midfielder Dani Olmo (21) and Manchester City’s loaned-out left-back Angelino (23) joined in January. Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann is the youngest head coach in the Bundesliga (via Getty Images)Īs well as getting hold of the best talent from their affiliated clubs – like Manchester City do within the City Football Group – Leipzig focus on signing talented young players from Europe to supplement the youngest team in the Bundesliga, who are managed by the league’s youngest head coach.Ī study by the CIES Football Observatory in April 2019 found the average age of Leipzig’s signings was 21 years and 156 days, making them the youngest recruiter of any club in Europe’s top five leagues. Instead, the club benefits from the far-reaching tentacles of the Red Bull conglomerate, which has a presence in Salzburg, New York, Sao Paulo and Sogakope in Ghana. No player produced by their academy has ever played for them in the Bundesliga. While many clubs pride themselves on nurturing players through their academy to supplement the first team, Leipzig take a different approach. Going against the grain is inherent to their methodology and the overarching Red Bull brand. Unsurprisingly, given their background, Leipzig’s success is built on alternative foundations. They are second in the Bundesliga, a point behind traditional powerhouse Bayern Munich. Julian Nagelsmann’s side arrive in north London having reached the knockout stages of European football’s premier club competition for the first time in their short history. ![]() As Leipzig ready themselves for Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham, however, their critics are far from their thoughts. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |