Rouven Schröder still feels a little like he has finally arrived in some kind of paradise after more than twenty years in professional football. Because whether as a player at VfL Bochum, at MSV Duisburg and at VfB Lübeck, or as an assistant coach, video analyst and ultimately manager in Bochum, Nuremberg, Fürth, Bremen, Mainz and Schalke – there was never actually any money. The scope for creativity was limited and there was often a risk of relegation.
That was once. Schröder, 48, has been the sports director of RB Leipzig since April 1, 2023. During this period he turned over 420.20 million euros in player transfers – an almost astronomical sum by Bundesliga standards.
This means that the Saxons easily outperform their natural competitors from Munich (323.25 million euros) and Dortmund (176.88 million euros). “With RB Leipzig you are of course in a different market. We are discussing other profiles, which are of course significantly higher in terms of budgets and transfer amounts,” Schröder told WELT.
Leipzig’s sports director Rouven Schröder wants to make RB a top international club
Source: dpa/Timm Schamberger
Even in what is usually a quieter winter transfer window, the Leipzig team caused a stir: In addition to the aging playmaker Emil Forsberg (32), Timo Werner (27), a current national player, was also given away. For Forsberg, the Macedonian Eljif Elmas was bought out of his contract with the Italian champions SCC Napoli for 24 million euros.
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Werner, who never really warmed up to coach Marco Rose, went to Tottenham Hotspur on loan. The international striker was the twelfth player to leave Leipzig since the end of last season, with eleven new ones arriving. Another one could be added by the end of January. “If we come to the decision that we want to react again, we will be able to act,” said Schröder.
Leipzig with a transfer surplus of 67 million euros
There can be no doubt about that. A transfer surplus of over 67 million euros was generated. The “construct” built on patronage, which RB is often referred to as by its critics, has proven its economic potential in its sixth year of membership in the first division – even if this is not currently documented in terms of sport. Fourth in the table and twelve points behind, the Saxons go into the top game against Bayer Leverkusen this Saturday (6.30 p.m./Sky).
It may seem presumptuous: But the people of Leipzig haven’t completely buried their hope of being able to intervene in the title fight. “Qualifying for the Champions League as quickly as possible is our primary goal. If we succeed in this, we will not limit ourselves if something is still possible,” explains Schröder.
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Such announcements are courageous, but also not illusory. The sports director and coach Rose are betting that the second half of the season will be better than the first half. After the massive upheaval that took place last summer, the team needed time to find itself.
The calculation is that this phase should be completed and the performance should stabilize. “That is exactly the fine line we are walking on. It was clear to all of us that there would be phases where things didn’t go well. We want to give the boys this time and at the same time we are an extremely ambitious club,” said Schröder. RB wants to be “the first team to beat Leverkusen this season.”
Sales of over ten billion euros in 2023
The aim of the flagship project of the Red Bull sports division is no longer just to play at the top of the Bundesliga, but to become a permanent title contender. The prerequisite for this would be quality at a sustainably high level.
Schröder’s job is to complete the transformation from a training club to a top international club. The conditions seem to be there. The strong foundation thanks to the start-up financing from the group, which had sales of over ten billion euros in 2023, guarantees stability. There is also another specific feature in the RB sports cosmos: extreme efficiency and short decision-making processes, which are significantly ahead of those of most Bundesliga clubs.
Xavi Simons is on loan from PSG to RB Leipzig and is being courted
Source: picture alliance/Fotostand/Nachtigall
Schröder appreciates and uses that. In contrast to his last two employers, 1. FSV Mainz 05 and FC Schalke 04, both registered clubs, he no longer has to go through the various committees with a transfer idea, which takes a lot of time. “The internal processes are perhaps a little leaner, which certainly has to do with our organizational structure,” he says.
Where he previously had to debate a commitment with a discussion-loving lay body like the Schalke supervisory board, in Leipzig he only needs to convince Mario Gomez, the technical director of Red Bull Soccer international, and Oliver Mintzlaff. He has a good understanding with Gomez. Mintzlaff has been on the management board of Red Bull GmbH since November.
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The trio is working to shorten the economic gap to industry leader FC Bayern. This requires sporting success, but above all a further increase in the value of the squad, which the Transfermarkt.de portal currently values at 489.60 euros. According to the portal, FC Bayern’s squad is worth around twice as much.
The priority is therefore to extend the contracts with Benjamin Henrichs (26) and Amadou Haidara (25), who would otherwise go into the coming season with their contracts expiring. Something like last summer, when Konrad Laimer moved to Bayern on a free transfer, should no longer happen. “We definitely want to avoid that,” said Schröder. The chances are good.
Battle for top talent Xavi Simons is looming
It will probably be much more challenging to keep internationally highly regarded stars such as Dani Olmo, Lois Openda and Xavi Simons. The Spaniard Olmo (25), one of the best technicians in the league, is under contract until 2027. The Belgian striker Openda (23), who scored eleven goals, even until 2028. Both should have exit clauses.
Schröder is determined to fend off the expected attacks from top international clubs. This becomes even more difficult with the Dutch top talent Xavi Simons (20), who is only on loan from Paris St. Germain. “Of course we would like to have him with us beyond the summer,” explains Schröder. It is questionable, however, whether the Leipzig team will be ready to win the bidding competition for a budding superstar.
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