They took Oliver Burke away in the summer and Leipzig are returning to the second tier for another teenage star.
It’s easy to hate RB Leipzig. The energy-drink fuelled face of corporate capitalism powering their way to the top of a league adored for its respect of the ‘good old days’ of fan ownership and tradition, with their non-existent history and apparently plastic fanbase, buying their way into the big time.
Yet, while Manchester City, PSG and other flagships of the nouveau-riche were attracted to headline-grabbng marquee signings like moths to a flame, from Robinho to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Leipzig, despite sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga table, are not all about the here and now. Theirs is a long-term strategy that just happens to be working rather well in the present.
After all, their record signing is not a Samba star or a perennial title winner from AC Milan. It’s Oliver Burke, the teenage Scottish winger from Nottingham Forest. They have no Thiago Silva’s or Carlos Tevez’s; the top scorer is 20-year-old Timo Werner, their midfield enforcer the 21-year-old Naby Keita and their key creator and undisputed star man, 25-year-old Swede Emil Forsberg (below).
Leipzig aren’t obsessed with gathering the world’s Galacticos at one club, they want to build over a number of years with a youthful, improving side that the fans can identify with and idolise.
It’s no surprise, then, that Leeds United’s 18-year-old prodigy Ronaldo Vieira is situated right at the top of their wishlist, as we reported earlier in the week.
The brilliantly named midfielder has exploded onto the scene under Garry Monk, belying his tender years with a series of performances fit for a practised veteran rather than a teenager who only made his debut in May.
In fact, there may not be a more exciting prospect outside of the Premier League right now than the young man named after two of the most influential footballers of his generation.
Vieira is tied down to a three-year deal at Elland Road and, with Leeds aiming for a long-awaited return to the big time, they are unlikely to entertain any offers at the current moment, no matter how inflated.
Yet, English clubs will need to be on their guard. They’ll have to get used to RB Leipzig sniffing around their academies and compiling scouting reports on their next generation.
After all, as Burke himself admitted, there’s few more exciting environments for a young player than the side turning tradition on its head.
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