Written by
Simon Austin
March 3, 2026
Steve Weaver is off for his first German lesson once our interview is over.
“Everyone here speaks excellent English, but I want to be able to speak to the staff and players in their own language and to get properly involved,” he tells TGG.
The 53-year-old former Wrexham, Huddersfield and Norwich Academy Manager started as RB Leipzig’s Senior Development Coach this week and is immersing himself into the job.
“It’s a beautiful city and the environment here at the club is fantastic,” he enthuses.
A few months ago, Weaver got a call from David Wagner, the German Head Coach he had worked with at Huddersfield and Norwich, who is now Head of Youth Development at Leipzig.
“I’d kept in touch with David after our time together in England, but the job offer really came out of nowhere,” he admits. “David said, ‘Do you fancy coming here and instilling some of the things you did at Norwich?’
“I’d had a year out after leaving Norwich (in May 2024) and wanted to do something very different. This really fitted the bill.
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“If you stay in the same place too long you can become blinkered and people can become blinkered about you too. I’d moved into a similar Head of Development role during my final few years at Norwich so this is something I’m passionate about.
“I’ll be working with the 16s to 19s here, in charge of coach and player development.”
During his seven years at Norwich, 24 homegrown players made senior debuts for the club. Although Leipzig have a stellar reputation for developing young stars, they have been criticised for failing to bring their own homegrown players through to the first team.
Joško Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai made their names at Leipzig, but they were signed as young pros rather than coming through as Academy products.
“The club have done incredibly well with young players, but they have often been bought from elsewhere,” Weaver admits. “This is what we are aiming to improve – that pathway from the development phase through to the first team.
Aerial view of Leipzig's Academy
“We’ve got quite a young staff here, whereas I’ve got a lot of years under my belt, so I am aiming to impart some knowledge.”
The Welshman, who hold the UEFA Pro Licence, Certificate in Applied Management from Warwick University and Diploma in Academy Management, won’t be coming in and throwing his weight around though.
“I’m here to listen and learn as well as hopefully share my own knowledge, especially in the early stages, as there’s nothing worse than someone coming in and imposing their ideas straight away.”
The set-up at Leipzig is very different to that of an English Academy. Most notably, the players are in full-time education until the age of 18 – and live on-site in 50 rooms in a residential area at the Cottaweg Academy.
“They train early in the morning, go to school all day and then come back to train at about 4pm, so they’re long days for them,” Weaver explains. “In England, they’re training full-time at the same ages, with some education around that.”
Brexit is another significant difference, with German clubs able to sign European players at 16 (under FIFA Article 19), whereas English clubs now have to wait until 18.
English youth development is highly respected in Germany – and especially at the Red Bull group, where there is a strong connection with English football.
Jurgen Klopp is Head of Global Soccer, Wagner is in charge of youth development at Leipzig and Stuart Webber, Weaver’s long-time friend and former colleague at Wrexham, Huddersfield and Norwich, is now Head of Sport at RB Omiya Ardija in Japan.
“EPPP is revered in Germany and there is a lot of respect for what we have achieved with youth development in England in the last 15 years,” Weaver says. “Jurgen and David are big admirers of the English system and of young English players.”
Weaver, who has three children in their twenties, will do blocks of weeks in Leipzig, interspersed with trips back to his wife and family home in Wrexham.
He is not the only globetrotter from Norwich’s youth set-up, with Academy Director Joe Shulberg having recently become Assistant at Rapid Vienna in Austria.
“This is a fantastic opportunity and the family have been really excited about it too,” Weaver says. “I didn’t expect the chance to come and am really going to make the most of it.”
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