Xavi, Olmo and Openda on song as Leipzig enjoy life after Szoboszlai and Nkunku
Xavi Simons and Lois Openda have hit the ground running at RB Leipzig while Dani Olmo continues to shine, ensuring fans of Marco Rose's side haven't missed Dominik Szoboszlai and Christopher Nkunku for long.
It has been a busy summer at Leipzig, with the revolving door at the Red Bull Arena in full swing.
Josko Gvardiol completed a big-money move to Manchester City, but he had been beaten to the Premier League by Szoboszlai and Nkunku, who joined Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Goals might be more difficult to replace than defensive actions, and Szoboszlai and Nkunku accounted for 34 between them last season - the former generally cutting in from the right flank while the latter increasingly led the line.
Taking their places in the side, quite literally, have been Xavi and Openda, the former arriving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, the latter a permanent deal from Lens, where he had scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 last season.
And their impact has been instant. Simons grabbed a goal and two assists as Leipzig thrashed the then provisional league leaders VfB Stuttgart 5-1 on Matchday 2, while Openda bagged his second Bundesliga goal in as many games in the same encounter. The following week, Simons starred as Leipzig picked up a highly-impressive 3-0 win at Union Berlin, the Amsterdam-native weighing in with a superb opening goal and assist as Die Roten Bullen felled the previous table toppers.
"I always give 100 per cent every game and want to win every game," Xavi had said in his first interview on Leipzig's official website. "Obviously, I like to score goals and get assists, and want to help the team to achieve our objectives."
So far, so good, for Xavi. The Dutch youngster, who is still only 20, now has a goal-involvement for every 54 minutes he has played for Leipzig so far.
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Openda's Ligue 1 goal haul already augured well before considering the fact Xavi scored 19 and assisted nine more in the Eredivisie on loan with PSV Eindhoven last term. The former has managed nine shots and an impressive 172 intensive runs in Germany's top flight to date. He has also found the woodwork, keeping his goals tally after three Matchdays to an already notable two.
After the team's Union win, Kopa Trophy nominee Simons told Leipzig's website, "We have a great team and an amazing coach. We still need to get to know each other more, and I’m confident that we will have a strong season."
For Dani Olmo, meanwhile, 2023/24 has represented his best-ever start in a Leipzig shirt. A superb hat-trick in the Saxony based side's Supercup triumph has been followed by several string-pulling performances in the Bundesliga this term and the Spain international already has two goals and an assist to his name in Germany's top flight.
In what already looks like being a highly exciting season ahead for the Supercup champions, Xavi, Openda and Olmo are prepared to outscore the vast majority of opponents - and perhaps the deaprted Szoboszlai and Nkunku too - which is a mouth-watering prospect for fans and neutrals alike.
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