Bosz is happy his players were able to switch off for a few days over Christmas and New Year. “It’s also good for clearing your mind,” said the Dutchman who was pleased to welcome his players back to the training pitch at Leverkusen: “That’s important. We’re flying out to the training camp tomorrow and then we only have a couple of days before the Bundesliga gets going again.” The Black and Reds are away to SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday 19 January (kick-off: 18.00 CET).
In the first training session of the new year, Bosz and Co. focussed passing and shooting after the warm-up routine with and without the ball. It was clear to see that the Werkself players were happy to be back on the pitch. 17 outfield players and four goalkeepers took part in the session including Lars Bender and Mitchell Weiser who completed a first full training session after returning from injury.
The South Americans Lucas Alario, Charles Aránguiz, Wendell, new signing Exequiel Palacios plus the Jamaican Leon Bailey were absent. “They’re flying straight to the training camp and will join us on Sunday,” said Bosz who is looking to mainly use the time in Spain “to talk to the players a lot and prepare well. Most of the players know our style of play very well but we want to keep on working on it and make slight adjustments. We can improve in all areas and if we can get a bit better across the board then can be worth a lot put together.”
Paulinho will not travel to Spain. The Brazilian striker is with his country’s Olympic team preparing for the qualifying tournament in Tokyo from 18 January to 9 February.
Asked about the winter signing Palacios, who will train with the Werkself squad for the first time in La Manga, Bosz explained: “He will get time. It will be important for him to get used to Europe, Germany, the Bundesliga, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the language – those are lots of changes. We saw a similar situation with Moussa Diaby where it also took a bit longer.”
After the training session, Bayer 04 head coach talked about a possible contract extension with his current deal due to end in the summer: “Since I started here, I’ve always said I’m very happy. It’s fun working here. We’ll talk at the training camp. This issue doesn’t need to take months.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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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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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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