Erik Ten Hag will be the new trainer of Bayer Leverkusen: a fresh start!

Erik Ten Hag will be the new trainer of Bayer Leverkusen: a fresh start!

Leverkusen, Deutschland - Erik Ten Hag was introduced on Monday afternoon as the new coach of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He follows Xabi Alonso, who is the first master coach in the club history of Leverkusen and was presented at the same time as a coach at Real Madrid. Ten HAG, 55 years old, signed a contract until 2027 and brings an impressive track record.

During his time at Ajax Amsterdam from 2018 to 2022 he won three championships and two cup wins. He also celebrated success at Manchester United, including the 2023 league cup and the FA Cup 2024. Nevertheless, it was released in October 2023 when United was in 14th place in the Premier League.

ambitions and challenges

ten HAG takes over a strong team, which could be weakened by the possible departures from Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz. In the 2023-24 season, Alonso not only won the first Bundesliga championship, but also the DFB Cup and reached the Europa League final. In the following season 2024-25, however, the club ended the season without a big title, in second place in the Bundesliga, 13 points behind Bavaria Munich.

Sports Managing Director Simon Rolfes emphasizes the ambitions of the club to win titles. Ten Hag would like to exchange information about the squad with Rolfes and emphasizes the need for leaders. At the same time, the association plans to strengthen the squad, especially after the departures of important players in the summer transfer period.

Change and new beginning

The move to ten HAG is considered a new beginning for Leverkusen. In the last transfer period, the club had not bought optimally, which led to an inadequate defense of the Bundesliga title. Ten HAG has the chance to redefine the team and benefit from financial resources that most Bundesliga clubs do not have. In addition, CESC Fabregas was in discussion as a possible coach, who insisted that it was not to leave his Italian club Como Calcio.

Despite the challenges, Ten HAG is optimistic and emphasizes the winning mentality in the club and the innovative strength of Bayer. The balance between squad planning and the establishment of a strong team dynamics will be crucial to meet the requirements of the club management.

ten Hag's appointment as a trainer of Bayer Leverkusen shows the ambitions of the club and signals a new path in the Bundesliga, which contains both challenges and opportunities. For more information on coaching changes in the Bundesliga, take a look at Statista .

For more details on the appointment of Erik Ten HAG you can also read at The athletic .