Bayer Leverkusen: Erik Ten Hag, sacked after 3 matches

Erik ten Hag has been dismissed as coach of Bayer Leverkusen after only three games in charge of the team. Bayer Leverkusen has made the decision to dismiss Erik ten Hag as coach, after a short stay of only three matches. Ten Hag took over in May, replacing Xabi Alonso, and signed a two-year contract. However, his time at Leverkusen has been short-lived due to a 2025-26 season start with adverse results. Leverkusen suffered a defeat in their first match of the season against TSG Hoffenheim at home and then drew 3-3 with Werder Bremen. Although they achieved a victory in the first round of the DFB-Pokal against SG Sonnenhof, the situation turned unfavorable for Ten Hag, former coach of Manchester United, after that match. The decision was made by the club’s shareholders’ committee, following the recommendation of Bayer’s management. The summer has seen significant changes at Leverkusen, with the departure of several of the stars who led the team to the Bundesliga title in 2024.

Jeremie Frimpong
Florian Wirtz
Amine Adli
Odilon Kossounou
Granit Xhaka
Lukas Hradecky
Jonathan Tah

In response, Leverkusen invested around 170 million euros to rebuild the team with the arrival of:

Malik Tillman
Jarell Quansah
Eliesse Ben Seghir
Loïc Badé
Ibrahim Maza
Mark Flekken
Ernest Poku

This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step.
Simon Rolfes, Bayer’s sporting director

Rolfes added: “However, the last few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this configuration is not viable. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything possible to take the next steps in our development with a new configuration.” Ten Hag, who managed ManUnited from 2022 to 2024, replaced Alonso, who joined Real Madrid in the summer. Under Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen won the 2024 title, while they were runners-up last season. However, Ten Hag’s conservative style did not sit well with the players, unlike the attacking football practiced by Alonso. A source has revealed that Bayer Leverkusen was interested in making this change as soon as possible. The situation deteriorated after the match against Werder Bremen on Saturday. The team squandered a two-goal lead, and subsequently, captain Robert Andrich expressed his frustration.

Everyone was playing for themselves, everyone was running around the field on their own. We have too many players who are worried about other things or just themselves. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced that at Bayer.
Robert Andrich, Bayer captain

“The disastrous final phase [of the draw] was a symbol of our current situation. This has nothing to do with instability, player transfers, or legal proceedings.”

A separation at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary.
Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer

“We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season, and for this we need the best possible conditions at all levels and throughout the first team. Now it’s about implementing and fully utilizing these conditions again.”