Norwegian football may soon have a new superstar. Antonio Nusa, the 19-year-old winger, has joined one of football’s biggest talent factories. If you become a star at German RB Leipzig, your next stop is one of the world’s biggest clubs. Last year alone, Leipzig sold players to Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City. Nusa could hardly have chosen a better club. In fact, this chess move is reminiscent of Erling Braut Haaland’s route. ABOVE: Antonio Nusa is leaving Belgian football and Club Brugge to take the next step in his career. In Belgium, he played 86 games and scored 7 goals in his three years at the club. Photo: BRUNO FAHY / AFP Selling his best Haaland made a similar choice when he went to Dortmund in December 2019. He understood that the start of his professional career is not about winning things, but about becoming the best possible. Instead of going to Manchester United or Juventus, Haaland chose a club that specialized in turning talents into top players. If Haaland became a star in Dortmund, the big transfer would come by itself. GERMANY: Erling Braut Haaland made his way via Germany and Borussia Dortmund before moving on to Manchester City. Photo: LEON KUEGELER / Reuters The same applies to Antonio Nusa in Leipzig. Like Dortmund, Leipzig has a special place in football’s food chain. They play in the Champions League and often end up in the top four in the Bundesliga, but they are not big or rich enough to keep their best. They base their sporting model on signing the best talents, developing them further, and selling them at a profit. This works for all parties. The players know that Leipzig can send them to the top. The club benefits from the players and earns fat. The big teams know that Leipzig usually sells quality. The cleat in bån Leipzig is particularly beneficial for offensive players like Nusa. The club is owned by Red Bull, the Austrian energy drink that uses sports for marketing. The fact that commercial interests are behind one of the country’s best teams has long caused anger in Germany, but Red Bull knows how to run a football team. One of the keys is that Leipzig stick to one particular style of play, no matter who the coach is. They play fast, offensive and intensive football. They push the cleat into the ground and keep it there, which gives the team a clear identity that makes it easier to find players who suit them. And that creates good conditions for technical players – like Nusa – who want the ball a lot. Since strikers are often sold based on goals and assists, it is important that Nusa plays on a team that scores a lot of goals. OFFENSIVE: RB Leipzig is known for playing attacking football here represented by Amadou Haidara, goalscorer Dani Olmo and Mohamed Simakan. Olmo became European champion this summer and was recently sold to FC Barcelona. Photo: Jan Woitas / AP There are parallels between Leipzig’s playing style and that of Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp. In fact, Leipzig’s new coach is Pep Lijnders, who was Klopp’s assistant until this summer. For the talents in Leipzig, the process is often the same. The big sales last year all came to the club at a young age and stayed there for two to four seasons. This included playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai (who left for Liverpool), defender Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City) and forward Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea). If Nusa takes the right steps, he too will move on to a giant club. Better than Brentford These future prospects are far better for Nusa than if he had played in the Premier League. In January, Nusa was close to a move to Brentford, before the club pulled out after doing the medical test. It might have been one of the best things that ever happened to him. Brentford is not an ideal club for a technical winger who wants the ball as much as possible. They hit a lot of distance and bet heavily on set pieces. They came in 16th place in the Premier League this May, and in a bad season they can quickly move down. Leipzig is more stable. They have played roughly the same season for six years in a row: around 65 points and top four in the Bundesliga, which gives a ticket to the Champions League. Leipzig scored 21 goals more than Brentford last season, in the league alone. And Brentford played four more games. Investment There are also some concerns. Not everyone who goes to Leipzig succeeds. Sørloth flopped in the same team. And there is uncertainty linked to Lijnders, who has never coached an A team at this level. But Sørloth was a different type of player at an older age, and has landed anyway – he now plays for Atlético Madrid. DOWN TOUR: Alexander Sørloth left in 2021 for RB Leipzig after a successful loan spell at Trabzonspor from Crystal Palace. In Leipzig, there were only 15 games from the start of 38 games, which resulted in 6 goals. Photo: RONNY HARTMANN / AFP Nusa is an investment from the club’s sporting management, not Lijnders himself. If Lijnders is fired, Nusa will still have confidence and time to develop. Moreover, only Brentford have worried about Nusa’s physical condition. When Leipzig pay more than NOK 300 million for a player, it is because they believe that everything is in order. Glad All in all, the transfer is another good news for Norwegian football. In the Premier League, Haaland and Martin Ødegaard are superstars. At City, Oscar Bobb is close to a breakthrough, as soon as he returns from injury. And now one of Europe’s leading talent factories is betting heavily on a Norwegian teenager. The key going forward is patience. NUSA: Now it’s up to Antonio Nusa to perform when he gets the chance. Here he celebrates together with world star Erling Braut Haaland. Despite his young age, Nusa has already played 7 international matches and scored 1 goal and provided 5 assists. Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP Nusa may well stay in Leipzig for five or six years before he moves on. He can be benched, rotated and loaned out. In any case, the most important thing is that he has chosen a club that knows how to develop him. Everything has thus been arranged. Now the rest is up to him. Superstjerne appeared with Løke’s sweater: – Where did he get it from? 00:56 Here it boils over for Northug: – I’m pissed off 00:21 Tearful meeting with the uncle 00:57 Check this celebration: Wild jubilation after overtime scoring 01:00 Show more Published 17.08.2024, at 13.52
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Antonio Nusa follows in Erling Braut Haaland’s footsteps – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
