
Kai, you withdrew from the U19 European Championships in the summer to give yourself a break after last season. Now you're back from holiday – did you get chance to recover?
Havertz: Yes, I had about a month off and I used the time to rest and recover – including from school – and I think it’s all worked out really well.
The first days in the training camp are over. What are your impressions so far? Havertz: We've had a good start but you also see how tough it is. But that's why the pre-season is there and we've got to get through it. It's fun being back here with the lads and I think we'll have a few good days.
What are your aims the new season?
Havertz: I'd like to establish myself and get more time on the pitch. On top of that, I want to join the team in a new start and achieve our joint targets.
Last season you showed how versatile you are. But if you were the coach, where would you play yourself?
Havertz: I'm definitely a midfielder. But I'm still very young and I don't really mind where I play. The main thing is for me to play!
04 fan questions – thanks for joining in.
@Jonasovic(via Twitter): What would you have done after your A-levels if you're football career hadn't taken off so quickly?
Havertz: It's difficult to say. I've always wanted to work in sport. Of course, my aim was to end up here at some point – that is be a professional footballer. Definitely something to do with sports but I can't really imagine what that would have been exactly.
@crxfm(via Twitter): You are a very versatile player up front. But what's your favourite position?
Havertz: As I just said: I most like playing in central midfield but I don't really mind where I play at the moment – the main thing is that I'm on the pitch.
@Pat Mosby(via Facebook): Are Vladlen and Co. really better than you at FIFA?
Havertz: No, I dispute that. I just had a bad night yesterday. (He laughs) Vlad is very good but Atakan and Sam are definitely not better than me.
@Christian Waschkewitz(via Facebook): Do you have any rituals before matches?
Havertz: It wouldn't actually see ritual but perhaps a little foible: I always put on my left shin pad and then my left boot first. That's not really true ritual but that's what I do most of the time before games.

Welcome back! On Tuesday morning, 11 August, Jarell Quansah and Exequiel Palacios – the last of the Werkself’s World Cup participants – returned to training. The two medallists and their team-mates are set to play their final two pre-season friendlies in England this week before the start of competitive fixtures.
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Bayer 04 have unveiled the new third kit for the 2026/27 season. The design, developed by kit supplier New Balance, combines the city’s colours with symbols that have defined Leverkusen and Bayer 04 for generations.
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Tickets for the first two Bayer 04 women’s team home games are now on general sale. A week after their league opener away at RB Leipzig, Roberto Pätzold’s side will face last season’s runners-up, VfL Wolfsburg, in the first home fixture on Sunday 30 August (kick-off: 16:00 CEST). Fifteen days later, on Monday night, 14 September (kick-off: 18:00 CEST), the Leverkusen Women host German champions Bayern Munich at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium for a top-of-the-table league clash. You can now also select specific seats via the online shop. The latest information on match ticket sales.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen will have to manage without Montrell Culbreath for the start of the 2026/27 season. The forward injured his foot injury in yesterday’s preseason friendly against Spanish top-flight side Sevilla (2–1), which rules him out of action for the time being. Culbreath’s diagnosis is not yet complete; further examinations are to follow in the coming days.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended midfielder Noah Mbamba’s contract by twelve months and sent the Belgian U21 international on loan to France. At FC Lorient, the 21-year-old – whose contract at Leverkusen now runs to 30 June 2029 – is set to gain playing time in Ligue 1 and, through strong performances and further development, put himself in the running for a future place in the Werkself squad.
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