RB Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer’s cell phone is currently ringing off the hook. Even as new coach Martín Demichelis officially kicked off training, Schäfer was still negotiating with Brighton & Hove Albion—and successfully so. A few minutes later, Brajan Gruda took the field as the 25th professional player. The clearance was granted, and the loan was finalized.
And he won’t be the last new addition. According to club president Tatjana Haenni, “there will still be a few more developments” regarding arrivals and departures. The CEO emphasized that “transfer proceeds are very, very important for RB Leipzig. And it’s just part of the dynamics of the business that things sometimes move faster on one side than on the other. That’s hard to plan for.”
Currently, the “budgetary balance isn’t quite right yet.” According to the Swiss executive, this is “set to shift in a different direction over the next few weeks.” It has to, because seven World Cup players are set to return at the end of July. With the soon-to-be-announced signing of Maxime Esteve, who is expected to join from Premier League relegated side FC Burnley, the squad would number at least 33 players. “I want to have two players for every position,” Demichelis emphasized. But he doesn’t need that many professionals to do so.
