The news is out: New Bayer 04 keeper Lennart Grill, signed from third division FC Kaiserslautern, will wear the number 21 shirt. The 21-year-old ‘numerically’ follows midfielder Dominik Kohr who moved on from Bayer 04 to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer. Before Kohr, central defender Ömer Toprak was the Werkself number 21 for six years. Grill will join his new teammates for the first time on the pitch at the BayArena tonight, 23 July, with the number 21 on his training kit.
Sports journal kicker made a very positive assessment of the former FCK keeper in the second half of the third division campaign and included the new Leverkusen player in the ‘Outstanding’ category in their ranking of German football. After the first half of last season, he was in the second highest category as a ‘prospect’. The kicker assessment: “Possibly the best goalkeeper in the league on the line and the U21 international often kept Kaiserslautern in the game. If he can improve his presence in the box then he could have the potential to play in the Bundesliga.”
The first opponents, derby weekends and much more: The German Football League (DFL) will publish the fixtures for the 2020/21 Bundesliga season on 7 August. The top flight and the second division will kick off on 18 September and the Werkself plus the other 17 teams will end the season on 22 May. The late start to the season is due the suspension of the league last term due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday, DFB president Fritz Keller and the assistant general secretary Heike Ullrich will make the draw for the first round of the DFB Cup. This will be held on Sunday, 26 July, and broadcast live on the ARD programme ‘Sportschau’ from 18.30 CET.
It is possible the ball marked ‘Bayer 04 Leverkusen’ will not face a named opponent at the end of the draw this year – usually there is a lower league team opponent. Due to the suspension of play caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the list of teams for the first round is not yet complete. The majority of the finals in the state cups will be played on 22 August. The DFB Cup ties will be played between 11 and 14 September, a week before the Bundesliga starts.
Following their 4–3 opening victory against Denmark, the Germany U19s made it two wins out of two by defeating hosts Wales, securing their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare. In the 4–0 win, Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka once again put in impressive performances, with both finding the back of the net.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed home-grown talent Sana Coskun on professional terms. The 18-year-old midfielder, who made her Bundesliga debut last season, has signed a contract to 30 June 2029.
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Attacking midfielder Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen for good on a permanent move to Hamburger SV in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. The 21-year-old, who was on loan to the newly promoted side in the winter, originally had a contract to 2027.
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The Bayer 04 Football School opened in 2007 – now this successful programme is getting a new name and a new logo: with immediate effect, the Bayer 04 Football School powered by BarmeniaGothaer is becoming the Bayer 04 Football Academy powered by BarmeniaGothaer.
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