Maxime Estéve establishes himself at RB Leipzig; a candidate for the team council?

RB Leipzig fought off competition to sign Burnley’s Maxime Estéve for €25m in July, and now the French defender is already impressing at his new employers.

Playing in an unfamiliar position, the left-footed centre-back has played on the right side of a back three in his three pre-season friendlies, but it’s not a cause for concern. “This is completely new to me, but I have no problem with it,” the Frenchman told Bild.

As such, head coach Martín Demichelis is reportedly thinking about including the 24-year-old on his team council for 2026/27. Upon his unveiling, sporting director Marcel Schäfer described his new defensive stalwart as a “natural leader.”

Seemingly settling in with ease, Estéve added: “I feel like I’ve been here longer. I already know some of the players, but I’m trying to integrate even more. I want to be close to all the players because at centre-back, I have to talk a lot and be loud on the pitch.”

Leipzig begin their campaign at Eintracht Trier in the DFB Pokal first round before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga a week later.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder