"Gerardo Seoane has done good work for Bayer 04 over the past one and a half years, above all with the outstanding qualification for the Champions League," said sporting managing director Simon Rolfes. "Unfortunately, we have left the path of success. The early exit from the DFB Cup but in particular the current position in the Bundesliga, which does not meet our expectations, has compelled us to change coaches," explained Rolfes the day after 2-0 defeat for the Werkself in the Champions League at Portuguese champions Porto. Seoane's assistant coach Patrick Schnarwiler is also leaving Bayer 04.
Fernando Carro, as the Bayer 04 CEO, emphasised the complexity of the decision: "Gerardo Seoane has enjoyed very high appreciation throughout the club both as a coach and as a person. It was not easy to part company. But we see no other possibility in the current situation.”
Xabi Alonso is the new head coach at Bayer 04. The Spain international with 114 caps won the UEFA Champions League as a player with Liverpool in 2005 and with Real Madrid in 2014 and he also won the German league title three times as a driving force with Bayern Munich from 2015 to 2017. The former midfielder won the European Championships with Spain in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. Alonso will have his assistant coach Sebastian Parrilla alongside him at Bayer 04.
"In Xabi Alonso we have brought in a coach who was an absolute world-class player for many years, an intelligent strategist and extremely successful at three of the most demanding European leagues," said Rolfes on the signing of the former top star. Alonso has been working as a coach with the second team of the top-flight Spanish club Real Sociedad for the last three years and before that he worked with the youth teams at Real Madrid.
"I know Leverkusen as an outstanding club from my time in Germany. Bayer 04 always had great players and I see a lot of quality in the current squad," said Alonso. "In my discussions with the club it quickly became clear that ambitious targets are still the aim in spite of the current difficult situation. This job really attracts me and I'm sure we can live up to expectations."
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04 Women's 2-0 win against Hamburger SV on Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga.
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After back-to-back away defeats, Bayer 04 Women now face their penultimate home fixture of 2026 as they welcome Hamburg to the Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Saturday (14:00 CET) seeking three important points in the Google Pixel Bundesliga.
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It was a UEFA Europa League fixture that came down to fine margins as Bayer 04 ultimately ended up on the wrong side of a one-goal game at home to Marseille on Thursday – the Werkself’s first loss of the European campaign. However, Leverkusen are still well on track to reach the knockout rounds with nine points on the board at the league phase’s halfway stage. Still, Carles Martínez and his team want to learn from the loss heading into Sunday’s Bundesliga derby at Köln.
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Several Werkself players are set to represent their national teams during the final international break of 2026. Here’s an overview of who has been called up and what matches they will face in November. This article will be updated regularly.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 0-1 loss against Olympique Marseille on Matchday 4 of the 2026/27 Europa League season...
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