
Fernando Carro, Bayer 04 CEO: “Continuity at a high level is a success factor in football. Christian Streich and his work for Freiburg are an excellent example of this. It's a shame that he's leaving. But after all those gruelling years in the football business, it's also a step that you have to understand, and that deserves respect.”
Xabi Alonso, Bayer 04 head coach: “Twenty-nine years at one club is an incredibly long time. I'm grateful to have met Christian Streich in a few games. Each of these encounters was characterised by enormous mutual respect. The fact that he has now decided to retire after the season is a great pity, but at the same time absolutely understandable in this demanding job. I wish Christian all the best for the future and for his time with his family.”
Thomas Eichin, director of professional teams at Bayer 04: “As a native of Freiburg, I have known Christian Streich for a very long time and we used to play together in the same team. For me, he has always been an extraordinary and sincere person full of empathy who consistently exemplifies his values. This remarkable greatness is also evident in his departure after such a long and successful career in Freiburg.”




Streich played for Freiburg in the 1987/88 season. He re-joined in 1995 as a youth coach, leading the U19s to the Bundesliga title in 2008. He also worked as assistant to the first team from summer 2007 before joining the senior squad full time for the 2011/12 campaign. Streich was then appointed head coach midway through the season, since which the 58-year-old has taken charge of 711 competitive fixtures. He led Freiburg to promotion as Bundesliga 2 champions in 2016, to the DFB Cup final in 2022, and earned European qualification four times.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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