“We are happy to improve the existing processes at Bayer 04 Leverkusen and support the club with unique insights that are currently unavailable to German competitors,” said Stephan Hanke, VP European Sales at Stats Perform. “It will be an exciting season in the Bundesliga and we’re looking forward to being part of this journey.”
Marcel Daum, assistant coach (analysis) at the Werkself: “This is my fourteenth year in professional football and data is now a permanent feature in our daily work. Edge Analysis enables us to move from descriptive analysis to predictive analysis in football. That’s the difference between Edge Analysis and other tools in the sector and it was the main factor in our decision to work with the platform.”
The new functions of Edge Analysis for the 2020/21 season, which are all based on patented models using artificial intelligence, offer new insights into a team’s match characteristics, changes to their tactical formation during a game, the forward movement of the ball and the effect of each player on the generation of goalscoring opportunities that can all be used to determine game strategies against any opponent. Edge Analysis is already being used by clubs in Ligue 1 (France) and Serie A (Italy), including Stade Rennes, who used the platform throughout the 2019/20 season on the way to qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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