
"Daley Sinkgraven is a very accomplished player technically. With his ability to read the game and quality, he'll fit in perfectly with our squad," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes in commenting on the transfer. "Beyond that, Daley already knows how our coach Peter Bosz likes to play and they both worked very well together in the time they were at Ajax," added Rolfes.
The former U21 international sees the move as "an exciting and motivational opportunity to be able to play for a top German club after my time at Ajax. Leverkusen have consistently been one of the best clubs in the Bundesliga for many years," said Sinkgraven. "I'm looking forward to playing in this league and, of course, to the challenges in the Champions League."
Bayer 04 have brought in a versatile left footer in Sinkgraven. "Daley was turned into a left-back in Amsterdam under Peter Bosz but he can also play in central midfield and wide on the flanks," declared Rudi Völler. "His versatility gives us further options. That is extremely important in terms of the opportunity to rotate with such a large number of games ahead of us," added the sporting managing director.

It was another incredibly close call in the end: The second showdown in the 2026/27 VBL Club Championship saw the #B04eSports team once again narrowly miss out on a place in the top 16 of the preliminary round – and with it, a spot in the in-person knockout stage. It was a bitter blow: Marc and Sean Landwehr again fell just short, despite being level on points with their rivals. As was the case last month, their weaker record across the twelve individual matches in the six preliminary round fixtures proved decisive.
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“They stuck with us over the past few weeks when things weren’t going so well,” said captain Edmond Tapsoba, thanking the fans for their support after the 2–1 win in Cologne and dedicating the derby victory to them. Throughout the 90 minutes, the Werkself had looked unfazed and in command, inflicting the first home defeat of the season on FC Köln. It was the sixth consecutive win against the Cologne team for Bayer 04 – head coach Carles Martínez, on the other hand, was facing the team from the neighbouring city for the first time and “now really knows what this derby win means”. The Werkself derby review.
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Following the 2–1 derby victory away at FC Köln on Bundesliga matchday 9, Edmond Tapsoba, Malik Tillman and Aleix Garcia spoke to Werkself TV...
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-1 derby win at 1. FC Köln Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season...
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There were celebrations among those in black and red at the RheinEnergieSTADION. On Matchday 9 of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season, the Werkself beat 1. FC Köln 2-0 and registered their sixth successive win in the derby. Aleix Garcia put Bayer 04 in front after just seven minutes with a direct free kick. Leverkusen played with discipline and energy after that and didn't allow some fierce challenges to unsettle them. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, and Said El Mala's goal in stoppage time for Köln proved nothing more than consolation. Jonas Hofmann crowned the derby win with his 100th appearance for the club.
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