The most pressing question at RB Leipzig right now is whether Martin Demichelis will survive long enough to turn the season around. After a promising start that included a 3:0 Bundesliga win over Mönchengladbach and a 5:0 thrashing of Hamburg, results have collapsed. A 1:4 Champions League defeat to newly promoted Como and a 0:2 loss at Bayer Leverkusen have left Leipzig ninth in the table with just six points from four games, and the mood inside the club is reportedly tense.

Publicly, the club has closed ranks around Demichelis. Sporting director Marcel Schäfer backed the Argentine during the international break, citing a heavily rebuilt squad and a difficult injury run as mitigating factors. Roger Schmidt, who replaced Jürgen Klopp as Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer, has also pushed for patience internally. But that solidarity may have limits.

The latest reports from Sky contradict earlier denials, suggesting Julian Nagelsmann is genuinely on Leipzig's radar should Demichelis be dismissed. The 39-year-old, who led Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals between 2019 and 2021, has not ruled out a return. Oliver Mintzlaff, Leipzig's supervisory board chairman, is said to be among his supporters within the club.

October will likely determine Demichelis's fate. Leipzig host Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday before facing PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in quick succession. Those results will either buy him more time or accelerate a decision that already appears to be forming.