It Gives You Wings

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It Gives You Wings

Welcome to “It Gives You Wings”, the all-new Red Bull Leipzig fanzine here in FFO. With the dawning of a new era in FFO and for Red Bull, we are here to provide you with information, insight, and entertainment. We will talk all things Red Bull and gain exclusive access to the club. We will bring you interviews with management and players, press conferences and lighter pieces over the course of the season.

Pre-Season
After a successful two season spell under Mike McLoed that saw the club rise to EFL1 and then finish 15^th, Red Bull found themselves with no manager and an aging squad. McLoed moved to Premier League Everton and the board decided to reach out to former Barcelona and Nottingham Forest manager Matthew Buxton to come back into the world of FFO and oversee a rebuild of the squad while also aiming to keep the club in the top league. Added to this, Red Bull qualified for the DPT for the first time.

The draw for the DPT has seen Red Bull drawn in a tough group with Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, and Monaco. The club also has a tough start in EFL1 with games against Celtic, Rangers, and Bayern Munich to start.

Matthew Buxton gave this comment in his first press conference.

“We all know that this is a tough job and one that I relish the challenge of. Having managers Forest into the Premier League I know how hard smaller clubs find it when going against the bigger clubs. We have a job to do first and foremost. Staying clear of the bottom 3.

The fans, the media and even the board know that we have some short comings in the team. We have too many players, too many older players and players who are not going to feature for us enough next season to justify the wage and minute requirements. Any player that is 30+ will need to provide clear justification as to why they should be in the starting 11, we cannot carry any passengers.

We will also look to utilise the loan market in the short term with the view to making sure we are self sufficient by the end of the season.”

Captain
Red Bull Leipzig have recently confirmed the new club captain for the first half of the season. A_Milik will lead the team until at least mid-season – with a goals target set by his new manager. The Polish international had this to say.

“It is an honour to captain this club. The new boss is a legend in the game despite some bad times in his last few jobs. He got the Barcelona job based on his tactical genius and results. Football is a results driven game and he gets results. He has put his faith in me and set me a goals target of 16 goals this season which is a real tough ask but one that I am keen to work hard to reach.”

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Double Auction Success for Red Bull

The Non FFO Auction is a time of the footballing calendar that has most of the games managers active, discussing, and excited. For a few seasons the Red Bull fans had been hoping for their club to put a bid into the auction and win (as far as I can see from what I was told by JB). With a healthy kitty and a team needing a rebuild – it was clear that Matthew Buxton needed to win a player from the auction.

And that he did. Not only did he sign defender M_Olivera for £100,000,000 (overpaying to ensure the multi-talented defender would come to Germany) but a secondary success was securing the loan signing of J_Lepenant from PSG who paid £108,068,334 for the French youngster.

Matthew Buxton had this to say…

“The signing of these 2 players gives us options on how we want to play. Both can play across the backline and step into midfield. We will of course value our relationship with the EFL1 champions and try to further it by providing a good proving ground for their starlet.”

Red Bull Academy Opens

With a small ceremony in the heart of Leipzig, the Red Bull Academy opening this week. The FFO world has been rocked by the leagues mandate that all clubs must open a player academy to ensure the next generation of footballers can be identified and trained by existing clubs.

With an initial intake of just 7 players, it is yet to be seen how many players will make it in the cruel world of FFO and how many will become squad members only. That being said let’s hear from Matthew Buxton on the 7 players now training at the club.

“The 7 lads we have signed all seem to be settling into life at the club well. We are going to invest in our academy as we see it as a way to ensure the future of the club and a way to kick onwards. Everyone knows that our club is on the cusp of EFL1 and EFL2. We have a hard task breaking out of that bottom 8/ top 6 scenario and we see the academy and shrewd dealing as the only way to break that cycle. I am very impressed with the goalkeeper so far but also the lad Sneijder. He looks like he could break into the team in a few seasons when the rules allow it. He has at least 3 seasons in the academy. We will no doubt receive some offers for our players but we will remain committed to bringing them into our team.”