…the reasons for his move from the Premier League to Leverkusen in the Bundesliga: For me personally, it was important at this stage of my career to leave my comfort zone and take on a new challenge. The Bundesliga and Bayer 04 were just right for me. The intensity here is high and I like that. Also the attacking style of play of the clubs, above all at Leverkusen, is very attractive for the fans and spectators. Our team has a lot of potential, and has lots of young and talented players in the squad.
…the role of Timothy Fosu-Mensah and other English players in the Bundesliga like Dortmund's Jadon Sancho in his move to Bayer Leverkusen: Timothy and I faced each other on the pitch once or twice in the past and we knew each other before my move. He talked to me a lot in recent weeks and told me about the strengths of the team and that increased my tendency towards wanting a move to Leverkusen. I also spoke to Jadon (Sancho, ed.) about the league. All of them advised me to make the move. Now it's about me going my way in Germany and at Bayer 04.
…his successful start at Leverkusen with the final goal in the 5-2 victory over VfB Stuttgart on his debut: I've had fantastic first days here in the city and at Bayer 04. I was only able to train with the team two days before the game against Stuttgart but everything went well on the pitch straight away. I was absolutely missing the feeling of putting the ball in the net and helping the team. I’ve waited a long time for that. Now it's about building on the first minutes.
…his personal fitness level: I'm absolutely in good shape. I've always kept fit including playing games for the Leicester City U23s in November and December. Those games gave me the strength that I can really make use of now. We've got a lot of games close together in the coming weeks. It's good for me to be able to carry on working on my fitness. I can hardly wait to be back on the pitch regularly and provide assists or score goals.
…his five years at Leicester City: Of course, that time was like a rollercoaster ride for me with highs and lows. Sometimes there was lots of minutes on the pitch, sometimes less. But it will always be a big part of my life. I've got a lot of good memories from Leicester. I moved there from my original club Birmingham City in January 2016 and then just six months later ended up winning the league title. It was a unique experience for me. All the people at the club will always be close to my heart. But I didn't really feature in the manager's plans any more. It was time to take a different and new path.
…the fans in Leverkusen: Unfortunately, I've not been able to meet anybody yet. But I watched some games from the past before my move when the fans were there too. So I was able to get a first impression. And I can say: Whichever match it was, they always kept producing fantastic energy and that spreads to us players. I can hardly wait to be able to play in front of them again.
…his targets at Leverkusen: I want to help the team and the club with good performances. Qualifying for the Champions League will always be the target in the league for a team like ours. To achieve that, we have to be focused in the next games. And we want to go a long way in the Europa League. Last year we made it to the quarter-finals. We want to build on that. I'm looking forward to the coming months.
Bayer 04 are away to FC Copenhagen on the first matchday of the league phase in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. The game against the Danish record champions is on Thursday, 18 September (kick-off: 18:45 CEST) at the Parken Stadium. Ahead of the match, here are some travel tips from Bayer 04 partner weloveholidays for all travelling fans of the Werkself.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 3-2 win against 1. FC Union Berlin on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga 2025/26...
Show moreThe successor to Sergi Runge as head coach of the Bayer 04 U19 team has been decided. Following the Spaniard's appointment to Kasper Hjulmand's first team coaching staff, the current U17 head coach Kevin Brok (photo) will be responsible for the U19s until the end of the season. As a result, Benjamin Adam will also move up a year and will now coach the U17s instead of the U16s, also until the end of the season. The structure of the coaching and support staff will remain unchanged.
Show moreThe Werkself are away to Mainz 05 on matchday 7 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. The game at the MEWA ARENA is on Saturday, 18 October, with the kick-off at 15.30 CEST. Read on for information on ticket sales.
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