RB Leipzig: The bizarre story behind England's most promising scout and Germany's most hated club

One of 2018’s most interesting transfers went under the radar this week as well-respected scout Paul Mitchell moved to German side RB Leipzig.

Despite sounding like a forgotten Eastenders cast member, Mitchell is actually one of Europe’s most respected head of recruitment having been responsible for the discovery of the likes of Dele Alli and helping Tottenham sign Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld.

But it’s the choice of Leipzig that has raised eyebrows. It’s an unusual career trajectory for a high profile scout who began his work at MK Dons before moving up the leagues to help Southampton gain promotion to the Premier League before arriving at Spurs aged just 33.

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Now, aged 36 and having helped turn Alli from a promising lower league player into one of the Premier League and Englands biggest stars, Mitchell has left the UK for a club that has as many questions surrounding it as Mitchell does people asking “Who is Paul Mitchell?”

Having been formed in 2009 as the latest of energy drink company Red Bull’s slow takeover of world sport, Leipzig have quickly risen through the ranks of German football having worked their way from the fifth tier to the Bundesliga in four years, where they pushed Bayern Munich all the way for the title in the debut top flight season. Even Melchester Rovers would have struggled to match that sort of fairytale rise.

And yet the fairytale is tainted amid the backdrop of corporatism, taking what should be a story that united Germany behind the underdog, it has in fact brought the country together with loathing against the non-underdogs.

Pretty much every opposition fan in Germany dislikes Leipzig; mostly for their complete lack of history but also for seemingly abandoning the country’s 50+1 rule which protects fans’ voting rights for the way their clubs are run. Leipzig, though, have embraced their position as the Millwall of Germany, selling t-shirts with “don’t care” on them and generally revelling in the hated.

But while they may be the most hated club in Germany on account of buying their rapid ascent up the leagues they are also commendably committed to developing young players into some of Europe’s best. Their donations to refugee charities in East Germany also makes it hard to really dislike them. It’s like seeing John Terry help an old lady across the road.

Since 2013 they have only signed a handful of players over the age of 24, having long held a transfer policy that promotes talented youth over established names. They have developed the likes of Josh Kimmich and Timo Werner into German internationals and are seeing Emil Forsberg and Naby Keita thrive (the latter impatiently waiting to complete his move to Liverpool in the summer) into some of Europe’s most-wanted talent under the direction of sporting director, and one time German space programme and England managerial candidate, Ralf Rangnick.

On many levels Mitchell’s move to Leipzig makes sense; a man known for finding football’s gems and turning them into stars moving to a team whose entire ethos is built on just that, but it seems a wasted opportunity for English top flight clubs to let such an asset slip out of their hands.

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But with English talent traditionally so reluctant to move abroad perhaps he should be applauded; following the likes of Mandela Egbo and Ademola Lookman who have both left Premier League clubs recently to try their hand in Germany, the latter to Mitchell’s new employers Leipzig and scoring on his debut. Scottish winger Oliver Burke just missed Mitchell’s arrival having left for West Brom a year after joining from Nottingham Forest but the scout’s presence could see more young British talent take the leap abroad.

The uber ambitious Leipzig will almost certainly have their eyes on the Bundesliga title in the next few years and Mitchell could be pivotal to that, he’ll just have to get used to being hated by pretty much everyone.