Benjamin Henrichs reveals details of talks with RB Leipzig
Benjamin Henrichs admits he was convinced to come to RB Leipzig before AS Monaco decided that he isn't for sale this month.
Benjamin Henrichs says he was keen on joining RB Leipzig before AS Monaco ruled out a January move for him.
The 22-year-old had talks with RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann and sporting director Markus Krösche who were quick to convince him that joining 'Die Roten Bullen' would be a good idea.
"Leipzig are top of the Bundesliga. There were good talks with Julian Nagelsmann and Markus Krösche, whom I know from my time in Leverkusen where he was an assistant coach. Julian Nagelsmann quickly convinced me of the overall concept and excited me with the way he spoke to me," Benjamin Henrichs said in an interview with Sport Bild and added:
"It was a phone call that convinced me immediately. He presented his and RB's philosophy to me. Nagelsmann is a young guy who knows how to talk to the players of my generation. It fit right from the first moment. I was already in contact with RB in the summer. But out of respect for Leipzig and especially Monaco, I don't want to go into details. The transfer didn't happen. Period. But that didn't make me cause problems. On the contrary, I always give everything."
Henrichs was also linked with a move to Bayern München, but reveals he wasn't in concrete talks with the German champions.
"Bayern are a great club, so it was obviously an honor for me, especially considering the fact that I haven't played much here. But the Under-21 EURO [in 2019] showed what I can do and increased my status. The contact with Bayern wasn't concrete, though," he said.
Henrichs is pleased that he has been given a bigger role at Monaco since Robert Moreno took over as coach in December.
"My big goal is to return to the German national team. The most important thing for me is that I play regularly. Unfortunately, that wasn't always the case under our former coach Leonardo Jardim. At first I missed out due to injury, and then I struggled to get into the rhythm. I've started three times in the second half of the season under our new coach, and he has expressed confidence in me. That's great," Henrichs said.