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.
In glorious sunshine and temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius, the Bayer 04 Women have begun their preparations for the new season. With a relaxed first session at the Kurtekotten training centre, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team became the first Bundesliga side to resume training after a 37-day break.
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Black and Red stand out. Under the slogan ‘Diversity under the Cross’, Bayer 04 took part in Pride on the Rhine at the weekend alongside the queer fan club “Bayer 04 Junxx”. The club mascot, Brian the Lion, and several members of staff were also in attendance, championing diversity and solidarity.
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Centre-back Melissa Friedrich is set to remain at Bayer 04 for another year. The longest-serving player in the squad, who joined the club in 2016, has extended her contract to 2027.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed Portugal U21 international Afonso Moreira. The 21-year-old winger joins the club from French top-flight side Olympique Lyon on a contract to 30 June 2031. In France last year, the left-winger made 37 appearances in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Europa League, scoring a total of eight goals and providing eleven assists.
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