+++ 12:54: Belocian on form and his team-mates 💬🤝 +++
Following the morning training session, defender Jeanuel Belocian spoke to the media. The 21-year-old said: “I feel really good, I’m in good shape and I’m simply enjoying every day here!” Looking ahead to the season, he said: “Of course I want to play a lot, but I’m still young and have a lot to learn from our experienced players like Eddy (Edmond Tapsoba, ed.), Loïc (Badé) or Lucas (Vázquez).” Speaking about his time so far at the training camp in Blankenhain, the Frenchman added: “It’s a great atmosphere for us to gel as a team and prepare for the season.”
+++ 11:28: Gutiérrez is right in the thick of it in training 💪⚽ +++
Now that’s what a warm welcome from new team-mates looks like! On Wednesday morning, Bayer 04 announced the signing of Spanish left-back Miguel Gutiérrez from Napoli. And the 25-year-old goes straight into the first training session of the day. However, even before Gutiérrez took his first steps onto the pitch in his Werkself training shirt, the team formed a guard of honour and welcomed the new signing with loud applause and broad smiles all round. The new Werkself number 3 then got stuck in straight away.
Gutiérrez first took part in the warm-up session with the rest of the squad, before completing an individual session with fitness coach Jonas Rath. Next up is the tactical part of the training session, an eleven-a-side drill with the 25-year-old rejoining the group. He has now completed his first few minutes training alongside his new team-mates.
On day four, too, we say: Good morning! The Werkself again awoke to bright sunshine over the hills of the Weimarer Land at their training camp here in Blankenhain. The lads are gradually trickling in for breakfast, spreading out in the dining room or out on the terrace, where they enjoy the (still) pleasant temperatures against a stunning backdrop. Incidentally, from the terrace you can also see the training pitches in the distance – and that brings us straight to the point, because today is all about more training sessions that are sure to be intense again!
As usual, this morning kicks off with an open training session, followed by a second session after lunch. Of course, we will keep you up to date again today.
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. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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“Say hello to the Werkself!” – With this request, Loïc Bade gathers everybody in front of his GoPro: Including team-mates like Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vázquez, Aleix Garcia and Ernest Poku, or Bayer 04 CEO Fernando Carro, head coach Carles Martínez, or even the reception team at the Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land. In between, there are glimpses of the pool area and the Werkself’s team quarters. Enjoy!
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