
…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.

Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 4-0 win at Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
Show more
Bayer 04 have comfortably reached the DFB Pokal second round thanks to a 4–0 victory away to Liga 3 side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. Patrik Schick put the Werkself ahead in the first 45 in the first competitive match under head coach Carles Martínez with debuts for new signings Miguel Gutiérrez, Afonso Moreira and Facundo Medina. After the break, Lucas Vázquez (47'), Nathan Tella (69') and Christian Kofane (79') also found the back of the net.
Show more
Today brings the first match of the season for the Werkself. Bayer 04 kick off the 2026/27 campaign today, Saturday 22 August, at 13:00 CEST with a first-round DFB Pokal tie away to third-tier side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The 3,700 travelling fans can not only look forward to what will hopefully be a successful start to the season, but also now organise their journeys to Black and Reds games even more easily via the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Meanwhile, following two defeats at the start of the league season, SV Wehen are hoping to spring a surprise in the DFB Pokal tie. Today’s matchday news.
Show more
Carolin Simon is the new captain of the Bayer 04 women’s team. The full-back, who joined from Bayern Munich in the summer, will take over the captain’s armband for the 2026/27 season. Simon returned to Leverkusen in the summer after ten years away. The 33-year-old succeeds goalkeeper Friederike Repohl, who retired at the end of last season.
Show more