Bundesliga - Change perfect: RB Leipzig signs Eljif Elmas
RB Leipzig have completed the transfer of Eljif Elmas. As the DFB Cup winners announced on Wednesday, the midfielder will join from Italian champions SSC Napoli and sign a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2028. The North Macedonian is expected to cost around 25 million euros.
"Eljif has excellent technical skills, is a strong runner and dribbler and is also capable of scoring goals. And above all, he has a very good mentality both with and against the ball. He can be deployed flexibly, can play centrally in attack, but also on both wings," said sporting director Rouven Schröder in the club's press release. With his skills, he also brings some new components to the RB game, "because he is very strong in one-on-one situations thanks to his fast approach and physical robustness and always looks for the direct route to goal," Schröder emphasized.
Elmas could follow Emil Forsberg in Leipzig, who celebrated his Bundesliga retirement on the last matchday before Christmas after 325 competitive games at Werder Bremen and is moving to New York. However, Elmas was deployed in central midfield both in Naples and in the national team, making him somewhat more defensive than Forsberg. As a result, the international would have to make some adjustments at RB.
The 24-year-old had recently lost his regular place in Naples. So far this season, he has played 16 competitive matches for the Italians, but has only made four appearances in the starting eleven. The midfielder is currently out of action due to leg flexor complaints. Elmas, who moved to Italy from Fenerbahce Istanbul in 2019, has played 52 international matches for North Macedonia to date, scoring 12 goals.
Elmas is due to travel to the training camp in La Manga (Spain) with his new team-mates on January 2. The fourth-placed team in the Bundesliga continues on January 13 with a home match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
RB Leipzig press release
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- Eljif Elmas, the North Macedonian midfielder who was recently signed by RB Leipzig from Italian champions SSC Napoli, shares some similarities in style with retiring Bundesliga player Emil Forsberg.
- Rouven Schröder, the sporting director of RB Leipzig, praised Eljif Elmas's technical skills, running ability, and goal-scoring potential in the club's press release.
- As Elmas prepares to join RB Leipzig, it is worth noting that his central midfield role in Naples and the national team makes him slightly more defensive than Emil Forsberg.
- Despite his impressive international career with 52 caps and 12 goals for North Macedonia, Eljif Elmas has struggled to secure a regular starting spot in the Naples lineup this season.
- The transfer of Eljif Elmas from Naples to RB Leipzig is expected to cost around 25 million euros, according to reports, making him one of the most expensive signings in Saxony's history.
- The Saxony-based club, currently fourth in the Bundesliga, will welcome Eljif Elmas to their training camp in La Manga, Spain, on January 2, ahead of their next Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt on January 13.
- With the signing of Eljif Elmas, Rouven Schröder and RB Leipzig hope to bolster their attacking options and challenge for the Bundesliga title, as they look towards the second half of the season with renewed confidence.
Source: www.stern.de
