Bundesliga
Are RB Leipzig building a super team?
Having finished Bundesliga runners-up on two occasions, RB Leipzig have long aimed to go one further, and they may well finally have the squad to do it.
Since their last second place finish in the top flight in 2021, the team from East Germany have broken their major trophy duck, twice winning the DFB Cup, and have shown they can mix it with the elite, having done so both domestically and on the continent.
More often than not, though, ups have been followed by downs for Leipzig, who have regularly seen their star players poached after stellar campaigns, but for once it looks like the tide may be turning.
Triggering that sea change was Benjamin Šeško. Two days before the end of a Euro 2024 tournament which he starred at, the Slovenian striker and breakthrough Bundesliga prospect extended his deal at the Red Bull Arena to ward off the world’s top sides.
Watch: All of Benjamin Šeško's 2023/24 Bundesliga goals
"Benji is one of our key players for the coming seasons and that is why the extension is a strong signal," sporting director Rouven Schröder said of the deal. "This also underlines our ambitions to be a permanent player at the top of the Bundesliga and to be one of the top clubs in Europe. He embodies our DNA and playing philosophy perfectly. With the new contract, we can continue to drive our squad planning forward."
Schröder wasn’t joking about squad planning either, just a day later there was more good news for RB fans, as the next talent off of Schalke’s legendary production line, Assan Ouédraogo, was added to the mix.
The versatile attacker and expert dribbler said that Leipzig had presented him with the best opportunity on the table, with Schröder commenting: "Assan has chosen us and our path - despite several offers from other top clubs in the Bundesliga and Europe. He’s intelligent, athletic and technically excellent.”
Watch: The best of Assan Ouédraogo
And just a few more days later, an already good summer became an excellent one as head coach Marco Rose was tied down too. The vastly-experienced former Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund boss added a year to his contract, ending any speculation, with Schröder speaking of a new ‘clarity’ towards squad planning for the new season.
Leipzig native Rose added: "The club is working in the background to ensure that we put together a strong team, we feel that there is more to be done and we always want more. We were all on the same page regarding how ambitious this club is. We all agreed on the fact that, in two years, the length of the new contract, we should be able to have something to show for our work and then keep on collaborating together.”
That background work also saw the arrival of Maarten Vandevoordt at training, a goalkeeper they rated so highly that they agreed a deal with Genk in 2022, allowing the 22-year-old time to develop at home before arriving to settle a goalkeeping situation that was rocked by Péter Gulácsi’s injury last season.
But then the big one came. Weeks before the start of the new season Leipzig put an exclamation mark on an already dream summer by announcing the return of Xavi Simons. The Paris Saint-Germain and Netherlands midfielder shone on loan last season with 10 goals and 13 assists, and is back for more, now with a reputation as one of football's brightest young talents.
All of this would be enough to redirect plenty of eyes towards Leipzig as potential Bundesliga title contenders, but we also have to take a look at Euro 2024, too.
Šeško certainly caught the eye, but so did Christoph Baumgartner, who looks ready for a full breakout season after Dani Olmo's departure to Barcelona. Baumgartner, a pressing monster, was arguably Austria’s star player as Ralf Rangnick’s side became the tournament’s dark horses with the help of Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager.
Watch: The best of Christoph Baumgartner
The list goes on. Willi Orban and David Raum were among those who caught attention in the summer tournament, and we haven’t even mentioned Loïs Openda yet - Leipzig’s star man last season who terrified defenders and finished the campaign with 31 goal involvements (24 goals and seven assists), second only to Harry Kane.
When you add all that together, and factor in a summer of stability both in the transfer market and in the dugout, you could certainly forgive those in Leipzig for falling into the kind of hype and anticipation which was swirling around at the BayArena last season before Leverkusen’s unprecedented unbeaten campaign.