
The 23-year-old Finland international has been sidelined for the past few months due to a blood flow disorder in his right ankle. Pohjanpalo will be on crutches in the coming weeks and after that our number 17 will start the active phase of his rehab.
"Joel has had a lot of bad luck with injuries recently. He has always demonstrated his strength up front and his qualities as a sub. We are convinced about his potential. Now he should get well in peace and then get stuck in with us again," said sporting director Jonas Boldt (pictured above with Johjanpalo at contract signing).
The 31-time Finland international has made 18 Bundesliga appearances and scored seven goals for Bayer 04 to date. "I'd like to thank the club for their confidence in me. As soon as I'm fit, I will repay that on the pitch with good performances," said Pohjanpalo.

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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The Bundesliga has announced the nominees for the ‘Top Goal of the Month’ award for October. Fans of the Werkself can now vote for, amongst others, Robert Andrich’s stunning volley from the match against Mainz 05 or Moussa Diaby’s curling shot into the top corner from the same fixture. Voting, exclusively on the Bundesliga app, remains open until Sunday, 8 November (23:59 CET).
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