Eljif Elmas returns: New opportunities at RB Leipzig under Ole Werner!

Eljif Elmas returns: New opportunities at RB Leipzig under Ole Werner!

Eljif Elmas, a 25-year-old North Macedonian international, returns to RB Leipzig from a loan spell at FC Torino. However, he hardly had any playing time under former coach Marco Rose: only 22 competitive appearances and a total of just 363 minutes on the pitch bear witness to his unfortunate situation in Leipzig. Elmas was frustrated by the lack of playing time and the circumstances at RB Leipzig. FC Torino was unable to sign him despite his role as a regular player on site due to a lack of financial resources. Elmas has the prospect of a transfer to larger Italian clubs such as Rome, Naples or Milan, but initially sees his future in Leipzig.

The transfer fee that RB Leipzig is demanding for Elmas is around 20 million euros. The transfer market is currently showing little activity, which opens up time for possible explorations. Elmas will take part in RB Leipzig's training opener on July 14th and in the training camp in Donaueschingen, which takes place from July 23rd to 30th. His contract with Leipzig runs until 2028 after he received it from SSC Napoli in 2024 for 24 million euros.

A new chance under Ole Werner

With the new coach Ole Werner, Elmas could now have the chance for more playing time. Werner is open to creative players, which could be an advantage for Elmas, especially since he also had health problems during his time under Rose, which further limited his playing opportunities. In the ten position, Elmas values ​​his teammates, especially Dani Olmo and Xavi Simons, which may create synergies within the team.

If Simons were to leave the club, it could make Elmas' stay at RB Leipzig more likely. Elmas' versatility is also an advantage: he can be used not only as a central midfielder, but also as a right midfielder, winger or striker. He began his career at FK Rabotnički in Macedonia, where he was instrumental in the team's third-place finish in the league in the 2016–17 season.

Elmas moved from Rabotnički to Fenerbahçe in 2017 for 300,000 euros, where he scored four goals in over 40 appearances. A move to Napoli followed in July 2019, with the transfer fee rising from 16 million euros to up to 19 million euros. In Napoli, Elmas won the Scudetto in 2023, the first title outside the Diego Maradona era.

At international level, Elmas has won 69 caps and scored 13 goals for the North Macedonian national team since making his debut on June 11, 2017, including a decisive goal against Germany in World Cup qualifying.

It remains to be seen whether Eljif Elmas can realize his ambitions at RB Leipzig. The start of training under Ole Werner will show whether the creative player will use the opportunity given to him to firmly establish himself in the Bundesliga team.

For more information about Eljif Elmas and his career, you can read the articles from LVZ and Wikipedia be consulted.