Jonathan Tah, how are you? Have you had a chance to take a holiday since your groin injury or did you start rehab at Leverkusen straightaway?
Tah: I'm doing really well and the rehab's going well too. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a holiday due to the injury but I'll make up for that soon. I'm looking forward to it already.
When will you be fit again? Are you looking forward to the pre-season with the Werkself?
Tah: Yes, I'm very much looking forward to being back on the pitch very soon. I'll start training again after my holiday. But first of all I'll have to start working on my own. We’ll gradually increase the workload. I hope to be able to be back in full training two to three weeks after the start of the pre-season.
You recently posted that you are very happy that Stefan Kießling is staying for another season. How important is he to the Werkself and how do you get on with each other?
Tah: I get on really well with Stefan Kießling. When I came to Leverkusen he did a lot for me and helped me settle in. He's a great bloke. And he’s enormously important for us on the pitch. He can score crucial goals at any time. And everybody knows how valuable he is for Leverkusen as a whole.
You spoke to Heiko Herrlich last week. What's your first impression of the new head coach?
Tah: Heiko Herrlich really impressed me. I'm very excited that he’s got started and I’m looking forward to working with him. My first conversation with him was also good because it included talking about when I'm going on holiday. :)
The 04 fan questions - Thank you for taking part!
@SethRollinsLEV (via Twitter): How do you see the chances for Germany in the Confederations Cup and the U 21 European Championships?
Tah: Both teams have very good squads and are capable of winning. Of course, they do have some very strong opponents. Above all in the Confed Cup, the other teams have their top players with them while Germany are missing some of the top stars. However, Germany will still want to win.
@jannisvlm (via Twitter): Which stadium would you like to play in where you've never played before?
Tah: It would be the Santiago Bernabeu. I've been there when there was no game on. I would like to have the chance to play there – and hopefully win.
Ricardo Gianlucca (via Facebook): Besides yourself, who do you think is the best central defender in the world?
Tah: For me it's Sergio Ramos at the moment. He's had an outstanding season and he made a solid contribution to taking Real Madrid to where they are.
Vanessa Arntzen (via Facebook): What does #dieuestaucontrole mean to you?
Tah: Literally translated it means "God is in control". That means God controls everything. That's what I believe and it gives me a lot of strength in difficult situations like now. And even when things are going well my faith provides support.
The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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This fan meeting got off to a rather unexpected start. On Sunday afternoon, the Bayer 04 managing directors had just welcomed the fans present at the team hotel for the traditional get-together at the training camp when Fernando Carro’s phone rang. The CEO, glancing towards managing director sport Simon Rolfes with a smile, said: “We’ll just have to answer that quickly.” When asked by the fans what the call was actually about, the pair left it open with a wink. Instead, Carro and Rolfes then spent over an hour happily answering the fans’ many other questions.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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