…his first impressions of Bayer 04: The players, staff and management – have all been really nice to me and they made me feel positive straight away. I’d like to thank everybody for that. It was a good start for me here in Leverkusen. Now it’s all about continuing to work hard and fulfilling expectations.
…his style of play: I left my home country of the Netherlands for England at the age of 16. Before that, I’d already been in the youth teams at Ajax for eight years. They gave me a very good footballing education. I’d describe my playing style as a mix of Dutch and English football. Both the experiences from my time at Ajax and the time at Manchester United help my game to continue developing now.
…the advantage of having a fellow Dutchman as head coach at Bayer 04 in Peter Bosz: Of course, it’s a positive. But the main reason for my decision to join Bayer 04 was the club as a whole. Simon Rolfes and the other members of management explained the club’s approach to the game and they gave me a positive feeling from the start.
…his departure from Manchester: Unfortunately, I was injured for a long time from the end of my loan period at Fulham (2018/19, ed.). After my torn cruciate, Solskjaer (Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ed.) gave me the chance of another season. I’m very grateful to him for that. But you have to play regularly at my age. And unfortunately that wasn’t the case at the end. That made the move in the winter a good decision.
…the influence of his schoolmate and United teammate Marcus Rashford, who’s known for his massive social commitment: What Marcus has achieved off the pitch in the past few years is wonderful and absolutely impressive. He has inspired a lot of people with his ideas and projects, including me. I wanted to help out in my hometown Amsterdam and, above all at the start of the pandemic, I supported a lot of families with food and other needs of daily life. The feedback from the people moved me and really pleased me.
…similarities between Bayer 04 and the English record champions Manchester United: Both clubs have a great reputation all over Europe. They both also have very experienced management who are extremely professional.
…winning the Europa League final in 2017 with Manchester United against Ajax then under head coach Peter Bosz: I haven’t talked to him about the game yet. But I don’t think he’d like to talk about it. (He laughs) We have a chance of winning that title with Bayer 04 this season. And I also hope to be able to experience the feeling of triumph this season for the club, the fans and our coach. Bayer 04 did very well in the Europa League last season and were unlucky to get knocked out by Inter Milan in the end. I hope we will all be able to celebrate together this year.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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