At the same time, the Werkself have loaned out Panagiotis Retsos to the Premier League club Sheffield United to the end of the season. The versatile defender Retsos has a contract at Bayer 04 to 30 June 2022.
"Edmond Tapsoba was a regular first choice at Guimaraes at the age of 20 and in addition to his defensive ability, he’s also dangerous in front of goal," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes in commenting on the signing of the 1.92 metre tall defender. Tapsoba has made 32 appearances for the Portuguese side this season, scoring eight goals including three in the Europa League. And sporting managing director Rudi Völler added: "His really big potential makes Edmond Tapsoba a very interesting proposition as a player. We are happy we've been able to complete this transfer."
The signing of Tapsoba enabled Retsos to go out on loan: "Panos has lost a whole year through injuries and it's important for him to play now. The Premier League club Sheffield United offer the highest level for him to get back to top form," said Völler.
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
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Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
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Bayer 04 start the 2026/27 season away to third-division side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Ahead of the DFB Pokal tie on Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), head coach Carles Martínez spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. The topics: anticipation, passion, the fans’ support – and the captaincy for the new season.
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After 62 days of preparation, the time has finally come: the Werkself kick off the new Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga season on Sunday (16:00 CEST) with an away match at RB Leipzig. Following a major shake-up over the summer, with eleven players leaving and twelve new signings, initial impressions from the past few weeks have given manager Roberto Pätzold great cause for optimism.
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SV Wehen Wiesbaden undoubtedly envisaged a different start to the new season. After two matchdays, the Hessen side currently sit bottom of the Liga 3 table. On Saturday 22 August (kick-off: 13:00 CEST), SVWW host the Werkself in the first round of the DFB Pokal at their home ground, the BRITA Arena. It was there, in this very competition a year ago, that the club almost pulled off a massive upset. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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