The new Werkself head coach turned up for work punctually on 1 July. While the players only have to appear at the BayArena on Monday for their performance tests, Gerardo Seoane has been in Leverkusen since Thursday. In numerous discussions with sporting director Simon Rolfes and his coaching staff, the pre-season will be planned and work done on the squad for next season. In addition, the 42-year-old will get to know the rest of the staff supporting the Werkself and will hold important discussions over the coming weeks.
One player who Gerardo Seoane will not meet at the start of training is Leon Bailey. The 23-year-old is set to play for Jamaica in the Gold Cup, the North and Central American equivalent of the European Championship. The first match is on Tuesday, 13 July with the kick-off in Orlando (USA) at 00.30 CEST. The opening opponents for Bailey and Co. are Suriname, and Costa Rica are also in Group C. The fourth opponent will be resolved this weekend in two play-off rounds.
The Werkself winger has made eight appearances for Jamaica so far including at the 2019 Gold Cup where the ‘Reggae Boyz’ were knocked out by the USA at the semi-final stage.
Euro 2020 and the Copa America are entering their final stages. Three Leverkusen players are in action with their national teams. Centre-forward Patrik Schick is set to play in the Euro quarter-finals for the Czech Republic against Denmark on Saturday night, 3 July. The kick-off in Azerbaijan's capital Baku is at 18.00 CEST. Schick has been involved in all five goals scored in the tournament by the 'Reprezentace'. The 25-year-old has scored four goals himself and provided one assist.
In South America, the Werkself skipper Charles Aránguiz and Exequiel Palacios are involved in the first knockout clashes in this year's Copa America at the quarter-final stage. In the night from Friday to Saturday, Chile with the impressive Aránguiz face Brazil (kick-off: 02.00 CEST) and 25 hours later Palacios and Argentina take on Ecuador. Good luck to both of you.
Kerem Demirbay? Leon Köhl? Nadiem Amiri? Chiara Bücher? Or even Lars Bender? As usual, you again have the opportunity this year to vote for your Goal of the Season presented by like2drive. To enter, you have until Sunday, 4 July to name your favourite goal from last season under our Facebook post. You can take your time to look at all the goals once again. Click HERE for the video.
The Leverkusen Fan Project has served as a meeting place for all Leverkusen residents and Werkself fans since its foundation in 1996. This week the Fan Project celebrates its 25th birthday. On this occasion we thank everybody involved for the untiring and so valuable social contribution to our club and our city. Here's to many more years side-by-side.
World Cup winner Toni Kroos has announced his retirement from the German national team. The Real Madrid midfielder, who played on loan for the Werkself from January 2009 to June 2010, made the announcement on Friday. The 31-year-old made 106 appearances for Germany. At Leverkusen, Kroos played 48 games and he made his international debut in March 2010 during his time under the Bayer Cross.
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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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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Nathan Tella has extended his contract with Bayer 04 to 2031. In an interview with Werkself TV, the 26-year-old talks about fulfilling his dreams, his positive outlook on life and his goals for the future. He answers the questions in English - all except the last one, which he addresses directly to the fans...
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