"Jeanuël Belocian is a great talent but already has a lot of experience at the highest level in France. He has the ability to pass well and also has outstanding athleticism," said Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes in describing the 1.82 metre tall left-footer who made 23 appearances in the top-flight in France last term and also played three games in the Europa League and one match in the French domestic cup competition. "Jeanuël is a long-term signing – he will bring us a lot of joy in the coming years and has the potential to become an important player for Bayer 04," said Rolfes.
Belocian, and comes from Guadalupe, is looking forward to his time in Leverkusen: "Of course, there has been contact with Bayer 04 for a long time. It’s simply incredible for me to be able to join the German double winners," said the 19-year-old enthused with his new club. "I'm looking forward to it and to the fans and the stadium in Leverkusen. I've watched the team's European games on television – and the way they played was really fantastic."
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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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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Opening opponents, derby weekends, the opponents in the season finale: This information and more will be available to Bayer 04 fans on Thursday, 2 July, when the 2026/27 Bundesliga fixture list is published.
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