After failed Brentford deal – Why Antonio Nusa opted to join RB Leipzig

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Dani Olmo replacement 

Antonio Nusa has had an instant impact on his new club, RB Leipzig. Signed for €21m from Brugge in the summer, the 19-year-old Norwegian winger scored in the DFB Pokal first round against Rot-Weiss Essen (4-0) and the winner on Bundesliga matchday 1 against VfL Bochum (1-0). Then, on matchday 2, Nusa assisted Loïs Openda’s game-winning goal against champions Bayer Leverkusen (3-2). It was a historic goal that ended a domestic unbeaten streak by Leverkusen that dated back to May 2023. 

In other words, not bad for a player who just six months ago saw a deal to join Premier League club Brentford collapse at just the last moment. Brentford were ready to pay €33m plus €4m in bonuses for Nusa. But then the Premier League club pulled out, citing underlying medical issues with the player’s back and knees. “Some stories came out, but then even the Norwegian Federation said that everything was fine,” RB Leipzig managing director of sport Marcel Schäfer said to Transfermarkt. “And you could see it with his minutes and appearances [that everything is fine].” 

Although Nusa did miss some time with a hamstring injury, the winger managed four appearances in the Jupiler Pro League regular season and then played in all ten playoff games for Brugge after the deal with Brentford collapsed. At this point, the one thing that concerned some clubs was his lack of productivity, as Nusa managed just four goals and four assists in 47 games across all competitions for Brugge last season. But despite the reports about a failed Brentford medical and his drop in production, Leipzig had no concern about signing Nusa this summer. 

Leipzig viewed Nusa as the perfect player to replace Euro 2024 star Dani Olmo, who was sold in a deal worth €55m plus €5m in add-ons to Barcelona this summer. “He has a little bit of a different profile than Dani Olmo,” Schäfer said about Nusa. “But it was exactly the profile we were looking for.” And what sort of profile does Nusa have? “We think we have a young and hungry high-potential player. He can handle one-against-one situations on a very high level. He has speed and the hunger to score. We think with his potential and the help of our experts on and off the pitch, he can achieve the maximum.” 

Although it is never ideal to lose stars, the Olmo departure showed a young up-and-coming star like Nusa that Leipzig was the right club for his development. “Players know we can help them to get to a bigger club,” Schäfer said. “We are not sad about this but happy about the fact that we helped Dani Olmo get to his best level. Everybody saw him at the Euros, where he was a key player for Spain. Then we helped him get to Barcelona, and that’s why players like Antonio Nusa, Arthur Vermeeren, and Lutsharel Geertruida came here. We don’t need to convince them because Leipzig confirms every transfer window that we are the perfect club for young players.” 

This was no different for Nusa. “Antonio knows the history,” Schäfer said. “He has his goals, his plan for his career and we want to support him for a certain time in his career. Of course, we have pointed out to him what we want to improve and where we still see more potential on and off the pitch, especially regarding his athletic attributes. But he is a great player.”