“He’s a special player”: Rouven Schröder on the squad

RBL’s sporting director Rouven Schröder held a press conference ahead of our clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday and answered a variety of questions from journalists.

We’ve summarised what Rouven had to say about the current squad and his thoughts on how the January transfer window has gone.
 

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Rouven Schröder on…

…Lukas Klostermann

• “Lukas is a special player. He’s been at RB Leipzig for almost a decade and is just 27 years old. It’s completely understandable that he took his time to think before making the decision about the next stage of his career. We gave him the time to do this. We’re over the moon that he wants to spend the next four years with us and that he’s chosen to sign a long-term contract with the club.

  Lukas is a hybrid defender who can play in a number of positions across the backline. We know that there aren’t many players like him playing at the top level. He also has a strong connection to the club. He’s a perfect fit for us as a person and has a great reputation in the dressing room. We’re proud that he’s decided to stay on with us.

  In Willi Orban, Kevin Kampl, Yussuf Poulsen and Lukas Klostermann, we’ve managed to extend the contracts of four players who’ve been an incredibly influential part of the club’s history. It was a very high priority for us.”
   

Rouven Schröder on…

…Eljif Elmas

• “We’ve had our eye on Eljif for a long time and been in regular contact with him. We’re all really happy that he’s at the club now. It’s hard to pick up a player with his quality in the winter transfer window.

  You get the impression from how he speaks, how he presents himself and how he looks on the pitch that he’s a player who will hugely benefit the team not only in a footballing sense, but also because he’s a great guy. He showed exactly this in his first few days at the club. He’s also really enthusiastic about the club and the city, and is really looking forward to playing in the Bundesliga.”
   

Rouven Schröder on…

…the makeup of the squad

• “We feel that we’re well-equipped and that we have a very competitive squad. That being said, you should never allow yourself to rest on your laurels. We always scrutinise things and keep our eyes open. 

  We’re very happy at the moment, but we know how quickly things change in football. The transfer window is open until the end of January and we have three Bundesliga matches in that time frame. Even if we don’t necessarily want things to change, a lot can happen in the space of three weeks. Players might get injured or suspended. A key part of our job is being prepared for all eventualities.”