
For Rudi Völler, managing director sport, the 1.89 metre central striker is a good addition to the current strike force. "After the serious injury to Joel Pohjanpalo, we intensified our search for a classic centre forward. With Isaac Kiese Thelin, we've brought in a striker who's good in the air."
"He's done brilliantly in the Belgian league," said head coach Heiko Herrlich. "Isaac represents an additional option for us up front. He will make our attacking game even more flexible."
Kiese Thelin is looking forward to the new challenge. "Bayer 04 are a big club with an exciting past. Leverkusen are consistently in Europe and they have ambitious targets for the coming season. I want to contribute to achieving those targets."
Thelin will wear the number 11 shirt for the Werkself. "Of course, I know Stefan Kießling. He's a legendary striker," declared Kiese Thelin. "Being the number 11 makes me feel proud. I hope I can produce good performances in the shirt."
The striker, born in Örebro, has won 24 caps and scored two goals for Sweden and he made four brief appearances at this summer's World Cup in Russia in three group matches and the Round of 16 game against Switzerland. In Sweden, Kiese Thelin played for Karslunds, IFK Norrköping and Malmö FF at club level, before moving on to French club Bordeaux in 2015. Then he joined RSC Anderlecht; there he went out on loan to Waasland-Beveren last term where he scored 16 goals in 25 games – the best return in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. He also found the back of the net three times in the play-offs.


The Werkself face Manchester City for the very first time on Tuesday for Matchday 5 of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (kick-off: 21:00 CET). The hosts sit fourth in the standings and boast huge quality in attack, while Leverkusen are looking to improve their meagre record of just one win from the last 10 games away at English clubs. A key player in that regard could be Aleix Garcia, the former City midfielder who ranks highly in several passing metrics in the Champions League this season. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the game in our matchday news.
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The Werkself's next European trip takes them to the north-west of England as Kasper Hjulmand's side take on Manchester City on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET) on Matchday 5 in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign. As usual, we'll take you along on the #aCROSSeurope journey and report from Manchester. All times listed are in CET.
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The dress rehearsal in the Premier League for the match against the Werkself did not go well at the weekend. However, Manchester City are still unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League, the competition they won in 2023. In the first encounter with Bayer 04 this Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 21:00 CET), coach Pep Guardiola will be able to field just about his best line-up. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Will the Bayer 04 U19s take the next step towards their first appearance in the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League in the away game at Manchester City? Coach Kevin Brok is well aware of this historic opportunity, but he's not about to start worrying about the maths: "We're not concerned with the question of what might be good enough. We invest everything we can and always aim for the maximum. That's our way." The game on this penultimate Matchday 5 of the league phase takes place on Tuesday, 25 November (kick-off: 16:00 CET) at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. Werkself TV will be broadcasting the whole match exclusively for Bayer 04 club members live from 15:50 CET....
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Charitable commitment under the cross: Bayer 04's U19s have donated the contents of their team kitty from the 2024/25 season to the charitable project ‘Wishes come true’. Defender Ferdinand Pohl, on behalf of the entire team, handed over a whopping €1,150 in the form of a symbolic cheque at the BayArena this week.
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