Last Wednesday, Bayer 04 signed right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Scottish champions Celtic. The 20-year-old has now completed the compulsory period of self-isolation after arriving in Germany and yesterday he trained for the first time with the Werkself. Whether or not the Dutch U21 international will be in the squad for the first time, after just the second training session on Monday, for the DFB Cup tie against Rot-Weiss Essen was left unanswered by head coach Peter Bosz at the pre-match press conference.
By the way: Not only is the number 30 shirt with Frimpong printing immediately available online at the web shop, but also the shirts of Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Demarai Gray who is our number 28.
This cup tie is special for Cedric Harenbrock. He was in the Werkself youth set-up for nine years before joining Rot-Weiss Essen in 2017. "The connection to Bayer 04 is still strong," said the 22-year-old to Kicker. "I have a lot to thank the club for."
While he was at Leverkusen as a U17 player, he made the step up to the Germany U17s and he also trained with the first team several times in 2016/17. He had to be patient when he signed for Essen in 2017. The development of the Wuppertal-born youngster was brought to a halt by two torn cruciate injuries. Then came the comeback in October 2020. Since then, Harenbrock has secured a place in the Red and White midfield and his five goals and five assists have played a big part in Essen flying high in the Regional League West.
Amara Conde is waiting for his first appearance in the DFB Cup but that could come on Tuesday night at the Hafenstraße ground – and against the club he started at. Amara went through the ranks at Kurtekotten. He played alongside Benjamin Henrichs in a number of the youth teams from 2006 to 2012. From there, the midfielder went to VfL Wolfsburg and Holstein Kiel before joining Rot-Weiss Essen in the summer of 2019.
There is huge respect at Rot-Weiss Essen for Bayer 04. That was revealed by striker Simon Engelmann to Kicker: "Other draws would definitely have been easier than Bayer Leverkusen." The RWE director Marcus Uhlig then tried to qualify the statement somewhat: "It wasn't the case that we were annoyed by the draw for days and days." However, coach Christian Neidhart made no secret that they did hope for a different opponent. "The cup is for providing upsets and earning money. We've done that. We definitely would not have wished for such a strong opponent," Neidhart revealed to SID sports information service.
Bayer 04 legend Juan is 42 on Tuesday. He played for the Werkself from 2002 to 2007, making 176 appearances (16 goals, seven assists). The Brazilian only ended his playing career in the summer of 2019 – when he was at Flamengo Rio de Janeiro where he had also started on professional terms. Former Bayer 04 defender Sebastian Boenisch (34), under the Buyer Cross from 2012 to 2016, is also celebrating his birthday as is Burak Kaplan (31). The home-grown Leverkusen youngster played for the Black and Reds from 1997 to 2011 (including loans) and after leaving he went on to play for Besiktas and KFC Uerdingen. Happy birthday to all three.
Of all things, a goal against the Werkself has been voted Goal of the Year 2020. In the vote for the ARD Sportschau, the Borussia Mönchengladbach player Valentino Lazaro beat ten other nominees with his scorpion kick at the BayArena on 8 November 2020. Over 115,000 viewers, making up 35 per cent, voted for the midfielder. It is more bearable from a Bayer 04 perspective as the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Werkself. Congratulations go to Gladbach.
A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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