RB Leipzig has lost its star Yan Diomande to Real Madrid against its own will. The transfer fee sets a new club record, but sporting director Marcel Schäfer stresses the sale was not planned. He said it was not the intention to sell the player. However, they are a club that needs transfer income. Schäfer admitted it is difficult when Real Madrid comes calling and that the intention is usually to keep a player for at least two years.
The old model is over
The business model of buying young talents from Europe, developing them, and selling them on for profit no longer works for RB Leipzig. Schäfer explained the competition has changed dramatically. In the past, emerging German stars almost automatically moved to certain clubs. Now every Premier League team is trying to sign that type of player. That will make it difficult to compete in the market in the coming years. The sales of Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano, Dominik Szoboszlai, and now Diomande to Champions League clubs brought in enormous sums, but all players were scouted elsewhere.
Focus on homegrown talent
Therefore, the focus must now come from within. David Wagner, responsible for youth development, described the shift. The business model used to consist more of signing young but already senior-level players from Europe, working with them for a few years, and then selling them on again. In the past, they were not successful in bringing in very young players, working with them in the academy, and then bringing them into the first team. This is now set to change.
The infrastructure is in place. The training centre, shaped into one of the best academies, features several pitches, a stadium for the women's team, and high-tech facilities. These include an obstacle course for mobility testing, an indoor running track with sensors for data collection, and own dormitories for players from a certain age group upwards. The club now aims to use these resources more intensively to bring its own talents through to the professional team. The current Bundesliga season shows mixed results. RB Leipzig sits in the upper third of the table after three matchdays. The last five games yielded three wins and two defeats. The latest success was a clear home win. The next task is an away fixture. The injury list includes two players. The full squad and current fixtures are available online.
The sale of Diomande thus marks a turning point. RB Leipzig recognised that the market for young, already established talents has become too expensive and competitive. The future now lies in its own youth development to remain competitive long-term and no longer be reliant on record sales.
More detail at Goal.com
