Xaver Schlager

Key strength: Work rate

Box-to-box midfielder

RB Leipzig are on fire. A perfect five-game winning streak has electrified the Red Bull Arena, yet even amidst this purple patch, Xaver Schlager remains the quiet engine room conductor—ever-present but rarely celebrated. The Austrian box-to-box midfielder has clocked 1,797 minutes across 27 appearances this season, contributing 2 goals and 1 assist from his deep-lying role. At 28, Schlager is in his prime, and his €10 million valuation feels like a bargain for a player whose tireless work rate provides the platform for Leipzig's attacking stars—Rômulo, Brajan Gruda, and Antonio Nusa—to thrive. With balanced attributes across passing (66), defending, and physicality, Schlager is the metronomic force Marco Rose trusts to shield the backline while transitioning play. As Leipzig surge up the table from 10th place, Schlager's relentless engine could prove the difference between European qualification and another season of near-misses. The question isn't his talent—it's whether Rose will unleash his full box-to-box potential down the stretch.