Football Season Guide

RB Leipzig established their credentials as the second best team in Germany last season, finishing the campaign as the runners-up in both the league and in the DFB Cup though they had to face disappointment in Europe following an early exit. It will be a season of change at Leipzig after bidding good-bye to coach Julian Nagelsmann who will be taking over at Bayern Munchen and has signed up Dayot Upamecano as his only major signing. Leipzig have brought in Jesse March who enjoyed a good stint at RB Salzburg and the club has been very active during the transfer window. Josko Gvardiol and Mohamed Simakan have been signed up from Dinamo Zagreb and Strasbourg while Andre Silva has been their biggest outlay so far, arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt. Leipzig have also converted the loan deals of Angelino and Benjamin Henrichs into permanent moves while Brian Brobbey and Caden Clark have been signed with an eye for the future. Apart from Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate has been the only other significant departure for Leipzig though injury struggles mean that the defender was limited to just 14 starts over the last two seasons. Hannes Wolf has also been moved, on a permanent basis this time, to Borussia Monchengladbach while Lazar Samardzic has been sold to Udinese. Barring the central defensive partnership, the Leipzig lineup will bear a familiar outlook when the season kicks off and much will depend on how Marsch will be able to wield the tools available as he looks to further close down the gap at the top of the table.