As in yesterday's morning session, coach Heiko Herrlich again had 18 outfield players at his disposal on the training ground. After missing the start of the week, Lars Bender, Kevin Volland, Wendell and Kai Havertz were back in full training. Havertz today received the call up from national coach Joachim Löw to the senior Germany squad that made him the focus of attention from the fans watching the session.
"Being called up is a dream come true for me. Of course, I'm really looking forward to being with the national team. However, there's the game against Wolfsburg on Saturday first. I'm fully focused on that at the moment," said the youngster after the training session. Sven Bender again completed an individual workout with the ball on the pitch away from the rest of the squad.
Herrlich has a total of two sessions left tomorrow and Friday for final preparations ahead of Saturday's opening home fixture at the BayArena. Both training sessions with be held behind closed doors.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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