After a strenuous and intensive week of training, the pros started work early on the final day in Austria. After breakfast, there was a pre-match routine at the team hotel ahead of the game against Mecca. After that, it is was a case of enjoying the remaining free time, packing bags and a last lunch at the team hotel Tauern Spa and then onto the bus, that took the Werkself to Grödig.
Before the Bayer 04 group could start the journey home, there was one final challenge. In a repeat of last year, the Herrlich team played their sixth friendly of the pre-season in Grödig near Salzburg in the afternoon. And it was against one of the oldest clubs in Saudi Arabia: Al-Wahda Mecca. With Fernando Carro, Rudi Völler, sporting director Jonas Boldt and former Bayer 04 player Ramalho looking on, the Werkself produced a battling performance in spite of the rigours of recent days and high temperatures once again; they earned a close but deserved 1-0 victory.
Straight after showering and a light evening meal in the dressing room at the Goldberg Stadium, it was onto the team bus for the short trip to Salzburg Airport. The plane took off at 19.30 CET on course for Cologne/Bonn. After landing at 20.40 CET it was time for the players, coaches and staff to be reunited with their families. And that was the end of the final chapter of the 2018 training camp in Austria. Monday is a day off and Tuesday will see the returning World Cup runner-up Tin Jedvaj and new signing Paulinho complete performance test – Heiko Herrlich's team will return to the training ground at the BayArena on Wednesday (8 August) .
Bayer 04 have agreed a loan move for U19s striker Ken Izekor to join Bundesliga 2 club Eintracht Braunschweig on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
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Bayer 04 have agreed a loan deal for Jeanuel Belocian to join fellow Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old defender’s contract in Leverkusen runs until 30 June 2029.
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After Leverkusen's eSports team spectacularly won the first showdown in the history of the VBL Club Championship last year, two rather sobering editions followed with two early exits. Now, in Showdown Four, cousins Marc and Sean Landwehr have once again made it into the offline knockout phase. And in this phase, Bochum awaits on Monday, 2 February (live on the VBL's Twitch channel from 16:00 CET). Here's a look at their opponents and what might happen next.
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SAB-P GmbH is to become Bayer 04 Leverkusen's first official inclusion partner. The company, which has previously been involved in the club's Business Club, is underlining its social commitment to inclusion with an agreement that runs until 31 May 2027. Among other things, it will be the shirt sponsor of the Inclusion Team from the 2026/27 season onwards.
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The Werkself were impressive in the 3-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt with clinical finishing and a first half "at a high level" that head coach Kasper Hjulmand draws a lot of positives from. The same should apply to Arthur, who scored for the first time in the Bundesliga. Edmond Tapsoba, for his part, was happy about his 250th appearance in a Bayer 04 jersey. "I think we're slowly finding our feet again," said goalscorer Malik Tillman, summing up the performance. The Werkself review.
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