“Exequiel Palacios has established himself as an incredibly important player at the Werkself. The fact he was a key member of the Argentina team at the World Cup in Qatar underlines his qualities as a team and individual player,” said Simon Rolfes, Bayer 04 sporting managing director. “Exequiel has often and successfully put his exceptional power and aggression on the pitch as well as his strategic and playing qualities to the benefit of our team. We are convinced he can assume an even more key role in the future.”
The 24-year-old Palacios believes his original assessment of Bayer 04 is fully justified after three and a half years at Leverkusen. “The club has fulfilled everything they promised from when I signed,” said Palacios. “I really feel at home here in Leverkusen and I’ve been able to keep on developing as a player. And the great reputation of Bayer 04 back home has ensured I’ve always remained in the reckoning with the Albiceleste. I’ve become a South American champion and World Cup winner with Argentina. It’s clear I want to win trophies with the Black and Reds now.”
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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