Shepherd over winter transfer period
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Sports director Marcel Schäfer of RB Leipzig has promised personnel activities for the winter transfer period after the heavy end-of-year defeat at FC Bayern Munich. This particularly applies to the defense, where national player Benjamin Henrichs could also be out for the long term.
The 27-year-old full-back seriously injured his foot in Saxony’s 5-1 defeat in Munich on Friday evening in the last action after the first diagnosis and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
“As always, we strive to strengthen the team if it makes sense for us both from a sporting and economic point of view,” said Schäfer in the Allianz Arena in general about the winter transfer market. Then he added more specifically: “We also have to see how we react to Benni’s failure.” There was talk of a ruptured Achilles tendon after an action without the opponent’s influence.
In the first half of the season, Leipzig was badly hit by injuries. Captain Willi Orbán therefore sees a need for action. “We are relatively thin at the back,” said the defense chief. Transfers are “not my job, but we’ll look into it,” said the central defender, referring to those responsible for RB.
Since the Leipzig team will only be involved in the Bundesliga and DFB Cup in the new year after having already been eliminated from the Champions League, personnel changes are only likely to be made selectively.
RB Leipzig: “Behind what we imagined”
“We are a bit behind what we imagined,” said Schäfer when summing up the first half of the season. “We are on the way in the DFB Cup,” he said about the title chance in the cup competition.
Orbán addressed the “many injured and resistance” in the first half. “We have already come together,” he said to deal with the autumn crisis. In the Bundesliga, the connection to the Champions League places was established. After the “clear, deserved defeat” in Munich, the short winter break is now about “recharging your batteries, mentally and physically”.