Nusa: “It was tough for a young player like me!”

Antonio Nusa has been a great addition to RB Leipzig’s squad ever since his transfer from Club Brugge last summer – but it could’ve been a whole different story.

RB Leipzig paid around €21 million to get Antonio Nusa from Belgian side Club Brugge in the summer of 2024. In the 32 games for the German side since his transfer, Nusa was able to contribute to 11 goals, scoring 5 and assisting 6. But it could’ve been very different:

In an interview with Transfermarkt, Nusa spoke about his almost-transfer to Brentford in January 2024: “It was tough for a young player, I was 18 back then, like me. But you have to experience things like these in football.”

The transfer fell through after Nusa had knee problems during his medical with the Premier League side. “I needed to find out what the exact problems were. After that, I just tried to get my head back into the game”, said Nusa about his time after the failed transfer.

When Leipzig’s former number 7 Dani Olmo went to his boyhood club Barcelona, die roten Bullen needed a replacement – and set their sights on Nusa. This time around the transfer went through and the Norwegian became the latest top-talent to play for Leipzig.

“Antonio [Nusa] fits the RB Leipzig DNA perfectly: he is young, shows great potential, is ambitious and is one of the best players of his age group”, said RB Leipzig’s CEO Marcel Schäfer about Nusa’s transfer.

The 19-year-old is currently sidelined with a knee injury, but he will make sure to continue performing at his best when he is ready to return to the pitch.