David Wagner: New youth manager at RB Leipzig – A promising future!

David Wagner: New youth manager at RB Leipzig – A promising future!

RB Leipzig has brought in a new head for youth work: David Wagner is taking over the management of the Bundesliga club's youth performance center. The official announcement was made on June 13, 2025, and Wagner succeeds Manuel Baum, who resigned from his position on June 6, 2025 for personal reasons. Rumors about a commitment to Augsburg persist, as Baum could possibly take over the youth department there, reports Mercury.

David Wagner, 53 years old and former head coach at FC Schalke 04 in the 2019/20 season, brings a wealth of experience. Before his time at Schalke, he worked for the youth departments of TSG Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund and as a coach at Huddersfield Town, where he famously led the team back to the Premier League after 45 years. Marcel Schäfer, the sports director at RB Leipzig, also highlighted his passion for promoting talent in a statement and emphasized that Wagner has extensive experience as a football teacher, which he will now bring to the table in Leipzig.

A friend of Klopp and Rangnick

Wagner and Jürgen Klopp are not only old acquaintances, they are also good friends and have supported each other in their careers. Their relationship goes back to their time together at Mainz 05 in the 90s. With Klopp's emotional approach and Ralf Rangnick's analytical thinking, Wagner wants to improve the transition between the youth department and the professionals. He was also recently present at the “Wings Cup” youth tournament in Leipzig, where he took part in a panel discussion with the participation of Klopp and Schäfer ( Sports show ).

The goal is clear: Wagner should sustainably improve the permeability from young talent to the professional sector. This challenge has already accompanied many coaches, and the sporting performance of young players is a complex topic. Factors such as physical, physiological, psychological and social aspects play a crucial role in talent development. Above all, the coach-player relationship, parental support and dealing with criticism and failure are key factors, according to experts such as Dr. René Paasch are instrumental in the success of young talents in the football world ( The sports psychologists ).

The reality in youth football

The statistics speak for themselves: of over 5,700 young players, only 3.5 percent make it into the professional squad. This shows how challenging the path is for many talented people and how important it is to properly support them right from the start. Wagner now brings a tried and tested approach that will hopefully also bear fruit at RB Leipzig. Working with young talent is a demanding task and we are excited to see how things develop under Wagner.

In football, the future often lies in the hands of those who are willing to develop the full potential of their talents. With Wagner at the helm of the youth academy, RB Leipzig could be well on the way to successfully tackling this challenge.