The team led by head coach Peter Bosz are preparing for the second Bundesliga home game in succession in icy temperatures. FSV Mainz 05 are the visitors on Saturday, 13 February (kick-off: 15.30 CET). The limited number of persons permitted at the BayArena due to the coronavirus pandemic will include Joachim ‘Jogi’ Löw.
This will be the first visit by the Germany coach to a match at Leverkusen since the start of the pandemic. The reason: The DFL hygiene protocol did not allow members of the DFB management to attend Bundesliga games until a few matchdays ago.
Löw’s assistant coach Marcus Sorg was at the BayArena last weekend for the 5-2 home win for the Werkself against VfB Stuttgart.
Florian Wirtz has been playing for Bayer 04 for just over a year. His development during this time is more than impressive: Joining from the youth set-up at FC Köln, the technically gifted offensive player quickly convinced head coach Peter Bosz of his ability. After nine first team appearances in the 2019/20 season and the departure of Kai Havertz to Chelsea in the summer, the management at Bayer 04 looked to play Wirtz in an attacking midfield role – and the 17-year-old has repaid that confidence with a lot of good performances.
The youngster, born in Pulheim, has made 24 appearances this season. Thanks to his goal against Stuttgart – his seventh this term – Wirtz is the only U18 player to have scored five goals in the Bundesliga. Reason enough for transfermarkt.de to increase the market value of the Werkself player. For last year's winner of the gold Fritz Walter Medal that meant an increase from €24-€45 million. Wirtz is now the most valuable 17-year-old worldwide.
Wirtz is nowhere near the only Leverkusen player whose market value has risen according to recent Bundesliga updates from transfermarkt.de. Central defender Edmond Tapsoba is now worth €40 million (+10 million), the two wingers Moussa Diaby (+ 2 to 38 million) and Leon Bailey (+5.5 to 35 million) have also seen an increase. Other adjustments: Nadiem Amiri (+6 to 22 million), new signing Jeremie Frimpong (+6 to 10 million) and Daley Sinkgraven (+1.5 to 9 million).
The youth players Emrehan Gedikli, Cem Tuna Türkmen and Samed Onur have also been given a market value for the first time in their careers. The 17-year-old centre forward Gedikli is rated at €750,000 and the two 18-year-old midfielders at €400,000.
Last weekend, Moussa Diaby posed huge problems to the Stuttgart defence with his inimitable tempo. The France U21 international provided the assists at 3-1 and 4-1 and thereby played a big part in the 5-2 home win. The games manufacturer EA Sports has rewarded the performance of the Werkself player with a place in the Team of the Week 20 on FIFA Ultimate Team. Congratulations, Moussa.
At the age of 19, Jonathan Tah joined Bayer 04 from Hamburg SV in 2015. Since then, the imposing central defender at the Werkself has developed into a regular starter and he has also played for the national team. 'Jona' is 25 years old today (Thursday). Congratulations on your big day.
The Hamburg-born defender could have a second reason to celebrate this week if he plays against Mainz 05: It would be his 150th Bundesliga appearance for Leverkusen.
Two other former Werkself players celebrate their birthdays on this Thursday. Markus Happe, DFB Cup winner in 1993, is 49 today. Ralf Falkenmayer, UEFA Cup winner in 1988, has his 58th birthday. Bayer 04 wish both many happy returns.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen has a new coffee partner. The club has agreed a long-term partnership with the Bocholt-based roastery Imping, running to 30 June 2031. The exclusive partnership with the family-run business includes the installation of fully automatic coffee machines at the BayArena, as well as the right to supply and serve coffee products in the business areas during Werkself home games.
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Plenty going on both on and off the pitch: The Bayer 04 fan support team has organised a number of highlights for fans visiting the Werkself 2026/27 summer training camp in Blankenhain, in the Weimarer Land region. Registration for the events is now open. All the details at a glance.
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The Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team and s2-Software are continuing their long-term partnership: The Werkself and the provider of pre-owned Microsoft licences have extended their contract by two years to 2028. This means s2-Software will remain the Bayer 04 sleeve sponsor for all matches in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga.
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BIOGENA is the new performance partner for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Women’s team. Under a partnership initially set to run for three years, the club and the leading Austrian micronutrient company are pooling their expertise in the areas of health, fitness and top-level performance.
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100 children from the Bayer 04 Football Academy had the chance to gain exclusive insights: As part of the summer camp, the young footballers headed inside the BayArena at midday on Tuesday, 21 July, where they were due to meet Werkself keepers Janis Blaswich and Simeon Rapsch in the press conference room. The two players took plenty of time to answer every question from the inquisitive audience – whether it was about their own careers or their first impressions of the new head coach. Finally, there was even time left to sign autographs for the young fans.
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