After Thursday's friendly against Basaksehir, the Werkself moved down a gear or two: Recovery was the order of the day as was a lighter training regime. Then day seven at the training camp was over: Heiko Herrlich led two sessions at the training ground on Lake Zell – they were the final two outdoor sessions of this year's summer training camp. In the morning there was another 90-minute intensive workout covering tactics and moves. The Herrlich team was accompanied by loud music coming from the 'Austria Swim Open' on Lake Zell, just a stone's throw from the training ground. In the early evening there was an hour-long session on passing and finishing. It ended with the Werkself pros again busy signing autographs and posing for selfies. Then it was time to say goodbye to the Alois Latini Stadium.
After the first session, Herrlich let his players enjoy themselves for 20 minutes: There were stretches and penalties taken in the main square; Thorsten Kirschbaum, Mitchell Weiser, Kevin Volland and Kai Havertz took the opportunity to shoot hoops. Paulinho, Wendell, Charles Aránguiz and Lucas Alario took part in a cow bell challenge under the watchful eyes of the coaches. Moving images and the winners can be seen on the Bayer 04 Facebook page.
For the past three days, Lukas Hradecky has slowly been getting used to catching balls again following the operation on his jaw. Albeit in a controlled manner. In order to avoid any risks, Lukas wore a lacrosse mask in the morning session. After that, goalkeeping coach David Thiel and assistant coach Xaver Zembrod put the new Werkself number one through his paces with reaction and catching drills. The Finn looked to be enjoying himself from afar. But it was all about safety first.
The gap between training sessions enabled the journalists present to carry out interviews again: Charles Aránguiz, Lucas Alario, Paulinho, Dominik Kohr, Rambo Özcan and Heiko Herrlich patiently fielded questions from the external press and club media.
The training camp in Austria ends tomorrow (Sunday). Reason enough to load the first vans after the second session with the equipment that isn't required tomorrow. Heiko Herrlich and his coaches will lead a warm-up session at the team hotel. And then – after lunch – the group will head off in the direction of Grödig.
The idyllic location of the Goldberg Stadium provides the stage for the sixth pre-season friendly for the Werkself at 15.30 CET. The opponents are the Saudi Arabian top-flight team Al-Wahda Mecca. Bayer 04 are again laying on a special service for supporters back home – from about 15.20 CET, the match will be broadcast live on bayer04.de and the German Facebook page. To get the players in the mood for the friendly and all other forthcoming challenges there was another Werkself film night: This time, Heiko Herrlich showed his players the 'Borg vs McEnroe' biographical film. It covers the unforgettable Wimbledon encounter between the two tennis legends in 1980, which is still considered to be one of the best matches of all time.
Looking behind the scenes – was a common theme during the training camp on social media under the hashtag #B04inAustria. In addition to a bizarre trick shot from Julian Brandt, it was the turn of Lucas Alario to take over Instagram. It's worth a look – both on Snapchat and Twitter.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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