"Konstantinos Kotsifakis is a highly talented and already very successful young coach who will give our coaching team new impetus," said Jefta Bresser, Head of Academy at Bayer 04. "We are looking forward to an exciting collaboration with Kostas."
Over recent years, Kotsifakis has acted as both head coach and assistant coach in various youth teams at Hertha Berlin. The 29-year-old will take up his position in Leverkusen on 1 July 2026. In addition to his role as U19 co-coach, Kotsifakis will also be involved in the ongoing dialogue with the players of the Bayer 04 Future Team - top talents under contract in Leverkusen who play on loan at clubs in Germany and abroad to develop their skills at a high level.
In this context, Kotsifakis will work closely with young players like Artem Stepanov (FC Utrecht), Abdoulaye Faye (FC Lorient), Farid Alfa-Ruprecht and Francis Onyeka (both VfL Bochum) and closely follow and support their development at their current loan clubs.
Midfielder Ruby Grant is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen and joining Portuguese runners-up Sporting CP a year before her contract expires. The 24-year-old has been at the Werkself since January 2025.
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Bayer 04 have loaned Brazilian full-back Arthur to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for one year. Arthur Augusto de Matos Soares – the full name of the right-back – has a contract with Leverkusen until 30 June 2031. At Werder, the 23-year-old is expected to make an impact and help the long-established club further consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.
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Bayer 04 have loaned defender Jeanuel Belocian to Spanish top-flight side Racing Santander. The 21-year-old defender joins the team currently ninth in La Liga until the end of the current 2026/27 season. Belocian’s contract remains valid until 30 June 2029. Last season, the 1.86-metre-tall U21 international was loaned to VfL Wolfsburg for six months.
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He knows the dressing room, the pitch and the club. But, above all, he knows the feeling of playing for the Werkself at the BayArena: Moussa Diaby is back in Leverkusen after three years. The lightning-fast winger has signed a contract with Bayer 04 until 2031 and he will once again wear the number 19 jersey. The left-footed player previously played for the club from 2019 to 2023, having arrived in the Rhineland from his native France as a promising young talent and eventually leaving the club – having established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best attackers – to join Aston Villa in the Premier League. Now he has returned to Bayer 04 from Al-Ittihad FC in Saudi Arabia.
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