There was bad news in the morning session. Jedvaj held onto his left thigh after a sprinting drill just before the end of training and he left the pitch for the dressing room with a concerned look on his face. An MRI scan in the afternoon revealed the 22-year-old Croat had pulled a muscle and that may rule him out of the top game of matchday 26 against Gladbach. "It's annoying for Tin and it puts him and us back a bit. He's very flexible and can play as a central defender or full back and he's done both very well recently. But you can't do anything about it," said a clearly concerned Herrlich. How long the Bayer 04 head coach will have to manage without Jedvaj remains to be seen.
Both Charles Aránguiz (knee) and Sven Bender, who was substituted at half-time in the 2-1 win at Wolfsburg due to a back problem, have not trained with the squad this week. The duo worked on their own on Monday and Tuesday. "I'm very optimistic that Sven and Charly were able to play on Saturday. We want to take care of them and avoid taking any risks," said Herrlich in describing a "purely preventative measure."The same goes for the skipper Lars Bender and Wendell (private reasons) and they did not join in with the morning session on Tuesday.They did return to full training in the afternoon.
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
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.
Show more
