Bundesliga: Xaver Schlager joins RB Leipzig from Wolfsburg

Berlin [Germany], June 18 (ANI): Xaver Schlager has swapped Wolfsburg for Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig, the Austria international midfielder signing a four-year deal through to 2026.
Schlager, who joined Wolfsburg from Red Bull Salzburg in summer 2019, had one year left on his contract. The 24-year-old links up with fellow Austria international Konrad Laimer at Leipzig.
“RB Leipzig are one of the top teams in Germany and are consistently in Europe, plus they have now won their first major title with the DFB-Pokal,” said Schalger after penning terms at the Red Bull Arena.

“I’m really pleased that this move has been completed and I can continue my development here. The club has big targets and I want to play my part in achieving them!”
Schlager made 81 appearances in all competitions for Wolfsburg, including 69 in the Bundesliga. He missed 20 league matches through injury last season, but still averaged 27 ‘pressures’ per game whilst producing a goal and two assists. The 29-time Austria international previously won four Austrian Bundesliga titles and three Austrian Cups with Salzburg.
Sporting director Christopher Vivell added: “Xaver Schlager is a tough-tackling and hard-running central midfielder, who not only knows our style of play, but has been playing in this way for years now. Xaver will be a great addition to us both on and off the pitch.
“On the pitch, he’s an intelligent box-to-box midfielder who makes good decisions, whilst his strong left foot will improve our versatility in midfield. He’s a reliable character away from the pitch, has a great mentality and that’s the kind of guy that will improve our team.”
The opening match of the 60th Bundesliga season will be played between Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayern Munich – Bundesliga 2 starts with Kaiserslautern against Hannover. On Friday, August 5, the jubilee season will kick off at 8:30 pm CEST at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. It will be the 103rd time that the two clubs have played each other since the Bundesliga was founded. (ANI)