A total of 22 outfield players plus four goalkeepers were welcomed back by Peter Bosz (HERE the 56-year-old talks about the start of training sessions) under the eyes of sporting managing director Rudi Völler and sporting director Simon Rolfes at the training ground. The Dutchman had Lars Bender and Co. begin the 75-minute session with classic rondos. That was followed by passing drills, shooting practice and finished with a game on a smaller pitch before Bosz ended the first training just after 19.04.
Absentees were Paulinho, who is out of action for a long time following his torn cruciate, plus the trio of returning loanees Tin Jedvaj (from FC Augsburg), Joel Pohjanpalo (Hamburg SV) and Panos Retsos (Sheffield United). The returnees cannot play in the Europa League; Bosz has given them an extension to their time off.
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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