After Thursday's friendly against Basaksehir, the Werkself moved down a gear or two: Recovery was the order of the day as was a lighter training regime. Then day seven at the training camp was over: Heiko Herrlich led two sessions at the training ground on Lake Zell – they were the final two outdoor sessions of this year's summer training camp. In the morning there was another 90-minute intensive workout covering tactics and moves. The Herrlich team was accompanied by loud music coming from the 'Austria Swim Open' on Lake Zell, just a stone's throw from the training ground. In the early evening there was an hour-long session on passing and finishing. It ended with the Werkself pros again busy signing autographs and posing for selfies. Then it was time to say goodbye to the Alois Latini Stadium.
After the first session, Herrlich let his players enjoy themselves for 20 minutes: There were stretches and penalties taken in the main square; Thorsten Kirschbaum, Mitchell Weiser, Kevin Volland and Kai Havertz took the opportunity to shoot hoops. Paulinho, Wendell, Charles Aránguiz and Lucas Alario took part in a cow bell challenge under the watchful eyes of the coaches. Moving images and the winners can be seen on the Bayer 04 Facebook page.
For the past three days, Lukas Hradecky has slowly been getting used to catching balls again following the operation on his jaw. Albeit in a controlled manner. In order to avoid any risks, Lukas wore a lacrosse mask in the morning session. After that, goalkeeping coach David Thiel and assistant coach Xaver Zembrod put the new Werkself number one through his paces with reaction and catching drills. The Finn looked to be enjoying himself from afar. But it was all about safety first.
The gap between training sessions enabled the journalists present to carry out interviews again: Charles Aránguiz, Lucas Alario, Paulinho, Dominik Kohr, Rambo Özcan and Heiko Herrlich patiently fielded questions from the external press and club media.
The training camp in Austria ends tomorrow (Sunday). Reason enough to load the first vans after the second session with the equipment that isn't required tomorrow. Heiko Herrlich and his coaches will lead a warm-up session at the team hotel. And then – after lunch – the group will head off in the direction of Grödig.
The idyllic location of the Goldberg Stadium provides the stage for the sixth pre-season friendly for the Werkself at 15.30 CET. The opponents are the Saudi Arabian top-flight team Al-Wahda Mecca. Bayer 04 are again laying on a special service for supporters back home – from about 15.20 CET, the match will be broadcast live on bayer04.de and the German Facebook page. To get the players in the mood for the friendly and all other forthcoming challenges there was another Werkself film night: This time, Heiko Herrlich showed his players the 'Borg vs McEnroe' biographical film. It covers the unforgettable Wimbledon encounter between the two tennis legends in 1980, which is still considered to be one of the best matches of all time.
Looking behind the scenes – was a common theme during the training camp on social media under the hashtag #B04inAustria. In addition to a bizarre trick shot from Julian Brandt, it was the turn of Lucas Alario to take over Instagram. It's worth a look – both on Snapchat and Twitter.
As with the other youth teams (U16 to U19), Bayer 04 are also relying on familiar faces—some in new roles—and fresh impetus from the coaching staff for the 2026/27 season in the younger age groups. An overview of the U11 to U15 teams.
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After eight years in the youth set-up at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Benjamin Adam is leaving the club. The 35-year-old, who most recently coached the Leverkusen U17s, will take charge of the Hansa Rostock U19 team next season.
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As well as internal changes and familiar faces, Bayer 04 are also looking to bring fresh impetus to the coaching staff of the senior youth squads for the 2026/27 campaign. Here is an overview of the U19, U17 and U16 teams.
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Bayer 04 have signed 16-year-old defensive midfielder Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin. The Germany U17 international is joining the Werkself from the Berlin Bundesliga 2 club on a long-term contract. Eichhorn made 19 appearances for the Hertha Berlin first team last season, scoring two goals.
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