“I needed a change.” – Eljif Elmas on his decision to leave Napoli for RB Leipzig | OneFootball

Eljif Elmas last week completed his transfer from Napoli to RB Leipzig, and the North Macedonian international midfielder discussed his reasoning behind leaving the Italian champions.

“I needed a change,” said Elmas. “RB Leipzig is a big club in Germany, I like the project and that Leipzig relies on young players. I’m still a young player myself. That’s why RB Leipzig was a good option for me.”

Elmas has already met his new teammates and is adapting to Leipzig’s playing style. “In Leipzig we play 4-2-2-2, in Naples we play 4-3-3,” said the 24-year-old. “There are also big differences in ball possession. Leipzig play much quicker to the top and there is generally more space in the Bundesliga. The game is simply faster and more direct.”

His move to Leipzig ends his five year stay at Napoli, where he played under Carlo Ancelotti in 2019, before lifting the Serie A title under Luciano Spalletti last season. Leipzig made the €25m move for Elmas after originally missing out on primary target Bryan Zaragoza, who will join Bayern Munich.

During his time at Napoli, Elmas played 189 games across all competitions, scoring 19 and creating 11.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder