At 10.21 CEST, Robert Andrich joined Julian Baumgartlinger and Mitchell Weiser on the pitch next to the BayArena. After the obligatory greetings, the new player at the Werkself completed the whole session. The 26-year-old joined Leverkusen from Union Berlin at the start of the week. Head coach Gerardo Seoane had words of praise for the midfielder following the morning session: "He brings a certain competitive mentality, strong physique and a good passing game. We know what we're getting with him and are happy that he's joined us."
Like Andrich, Bob Schoos also experienced his first day at work at Bayer 04 on the pitch. The new Werkself fitness coach had been working with the first team at Schalke 04 for the past two years and before that the Luxemburg-born coach worked at the TSG Hoffenheim academy for four years.
Newcomer Schoos is now a work colleague of Bayer 04 old hand Schahriar Bigdeli. The former German long jump champion has been looking after the fitness of the Werkself players since 2006. However, the 41-year-old has been sidelined in recent weeks after injuring a knee ligament. Now the splints are off and he is back on the training ground. Good to see you again.
And there's more good news on the personnel front from the Bayer 04 camp as Bigdeli spent the morning session with another returnee: youngster Florian Wirtz. The 18-year-old missed the first two games of the new season due to injury. He is now working hard on making his return to the squad. Head coach Gerardo Seoane on the young offensive player: "We're gradually building up Flo's training and seeing how his body reacts to the stress and strain. All in all, he is on the right track."
Timothy Fosu-Mensah is in a similar position even if his return to full training is expected later. The right-back suffered a torn cruciate at the start of March. Like Wirtz, the 23-year-old completed an individual session on the pitch on Tuesday. Gerardo Seoane looked impressed with the hard work the Dutchman put into training: "He's here every day, often even trains twice a day and he always has a positive attitude. But with him it will probably take to October or November until he can return to full training."
With all today's positive news, there are unfortunately some bad tidings: Right-back Jeremie Frimpong had to finish training early due to muscular problems. It remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will be an option for the forthcoming home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, 21 August (kick-off: 18.30 CEST).
Bayer 04 announced another new signing on Monday in addition to Robert Andrich: Piero Hincapie. The left-footer came to Leverkusen from the Argentinian top-flight club CA Talleres and he is set to play as a central defender. At the moment, the 19-year-old is in quarantine for five days and he will join the team at the end of the week. Head coach Gerardo Seoane believes Piero has "huge potential."
Lars and Sven Bender are no longer playing in professional football. The long-standing Werkself players ended their professional careers in the summer. However, the twins never thought of turning their backs on football. The 32-year-olds are now playing for TSV Brannenburg, the club that they were at as teenagers, in the ninth division – and they are really enjoying their new environment. "It's incredible fun. We want to give something back to the region," said Sven Bender to the broadcaster ran. His twin brother Lars added: "There's always a crate of beer here!" And the long-standing Leverkusen players richly deserve that. Enjoy it.
Two former Werkself players celebrated their birthdays on Tuesday. Jorginho, who wore the number two for Bayer 04 from 1989 to 1992, was 57 years old. The Brazilian is currently working back home with the top-flight side Cuiabá EC as head coach.
Jan Heintze is now 58 years old. The former Werkself left-back (1996-99) talked about his time under the Bayer Cross a few days ago. On the occasion of his debut in Black and Red exactly 25 years ago, the Dane spoke about long car journeys with Erik Meijer and his job that has regularly brought him to the BayArena for several years. HERE is the link to the interview. Many happy returns to both of you.
The Bayer 04 Round of 16 tie in the 2026/27 DFB Pokal has been scheduled. The Werkself will host Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig on Wednesday, 2 December, at 18:00 CET. That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB).
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Video game developer Electronic Arts (EA), in collaboration with the Bundesliga, has announced the six nominees for the Bundesliga Player of the Month award for October 2026 – and Bayer 04’s Ibrahim Maza is among them. Fans of the Black and Reds can vote from now until Sunday 8 November (23:59 CET).
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On Tuesday night, the Leverkusen e-sports team played the first three of their six group stage matches in the second round of the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship. They were unable to secure more than a draw in either of their matches against FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The match against Bayern Munich ended in defeat.
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Once again, several Werkself players are set to represent their respective national teams during the final international break of the calendar year. Here is an overview of the Leverkusen players called up for international duty and the match dates. This will be updated regularly.
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