Bayer Leverkusen is parting ways with coach Ten Hag
Bayer Leverkusen has announced the termination of Erik ten Hag's contract as the club's head coach, effective immediately. The decision was made by the supervisory board on the recommendation of the club's management, with the aim of achieving the season's goals and creating the best possible conditions for success.
The assistant coaching staff is currently taking over training at Bayer Leverkusen. This separation is considered painful by Bayer's CEO, Fernando Carro, who stated that it was necessary to achieve the season's goals.
Ten Hag had been coaching Bayer Leverkusen since the beginning of the summer, but the team's performance has been less than satisfactory. The departures and the integration of new players appear to be challenging for the club, as they are still struggling to find success on the pitch.
This season, several key players have departed from Bayer Leverkusen, including Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka, and Jeremie Frimpong. To compensate for these losses, the club has signed several new players, including Farid Alfa-Ruprecht (from Manchester City), Ernest Poku (from AZ), Janis Blaswich (from RB Leipzig), Ibrahim Maza (from Hertha BSC), Christian Kofane (from Albacete), Abdoulaye Faye (from Häcken), Lucas Vázquez, and Ezequiel Fernández.
However, the team's issues in the game were due to more than just the departures and the integration of new players. According to captain Robert Andrich, the team's problems stemmed from too many players being concerned with personal matters and not working as a team. Andrich also suggested that the team's performance issues were a mix of not implementing coach Erik ten Hag's instructions and not knowing what to do.
Bayer Leverkusen started the season with a 1:2 loss against TSG Hoffenheim, followed by a 3:3 draw against Werder Bremen, after having a 3:1 lead. The team's next game after the international break is against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 12. It remains unclear if the team will be able to overcome the challenges posed by the departures and integrate the new players in time for the game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Simon Rolfes, the sporting director, stated that building a new and successful team with the current lineup was not leading to the desired results. Bayer Leverkusen aims to achieve its season goals and needs the best possible conditions on all levels and in the entire license area. The club will be hoping that a change in leadership will help them turn their fortunes around and achieve their ambitious objectives for the season.
