The DFB conference on educational leadership at German performance centres takes place on Thursday, 17 June. The German Football Association has invited representatives from the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. In addition to Valeria Eckardt of the Sports Psychology Institute at the German Sports University in Cologne, Reiner Fehl will also share his expertise on the subject of supporting parents. Fehl, who has been in the newly created post of parental support at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre since the start of September 2020, will talk about the establishment, implementation and status of the parental support concept at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre. Then there will be a discussion on this subject with Fehl as well as Karen Schmithüsen, Bayer 04 media assistant for youth and women. Bayer 04 are considered to be a leader in the area of parental support for youth talents and to date is one of few similar organisations amongst Germany's academies.
From the Performance Centre to the first team: The transfer and market value website transfermarkt.de has published the new figures for the 2020/21 Bundesliga season. Florian Wirtz with a market value of €45 million remains the most valuable player in the Bayer 04 squad – closely followed by Werkself defender Edmond Tapsoba (€40 million) plus our number 19 Moussa Diaby (€38 million). The biggest market value 'winner' in the Werkself ranks after the season-ending on 29 May is Jonathan Tah. The Black and Red defender has increased his abstract financial value by ten per cent from €20 million to €22 million.
As announced today (Friday) by the Chilean football Association (FFC) and the Argentinian Association (AFA), three Werkself players are in the Copa América squads for ‘La Roja’ and ‘Albiceleste’. Both Werkself captain Charles Aránguiz (Chile) as well as Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario (both Argentina) have been called up by their national coaches to the final squads for the South American tournament that starts on Sunday, 13 June with the clash between Brazil and Venezuela. We wish our three Werkself players great success.
While the squad planning is running at full speed for the Copa América, the European equivalent of the ‘Copa’ is witnessing ever-increasing interest from the media. As announced last Wednesday, Peter Hyballa will be the TV pundit on the second German TV channel ZDF. In addition to the former Bayer 04 youth and assistant coach, TV viewers will also be able to hear expertise from players with a Black and Red past: Hanno Ballitsch (co-commentator), a Werkself player from 2002 to 2005, plus 2014 World Cup winner Christoph Kramer (TV pundit) will also be working for ZDF. Bayer 04 legend Michael Ballack will be sharing his expert knowledge on the pay-TV channel MagentaTV.
Changes are also being made for matches in the pan-European continental tournament. UEFA will be implementing rule changes, agreed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in March, for the first time at the European Championship. The focus of the new rules is primarily on adapting the handball rule. In future, unintentional handball in the build-up to goal will no longer be treated automatically as an infringement. Beyond that, intentional contact or the unnatural increase of body size will continue to be treated as handball.
The former club of the new Bayer 04 head coach Gerardo Seoane have found a successor to the 42-year-old. It is a familiar face from a Bundesliga perspective: David Wagner, at the helm at Schalke 04 up to the second matchday of last season, has been brought in for the new campaign at the reigning Swiss champions.
In addition to the Champions League triumph at the end of May, Kai Havertz has another reason to celebrate. The homegrown Leverkusen talent, who joined Chelsea ahead of the 2020/21 season, today celebrates his 22nd birthday. Anybody wanting to follow his development at Leverkusen can see our documentary on YouTube. Another player than with a Kurtekotten and Werkself past is Gonzalo Castro – the midfielder, 34 years old today, made 370 appearances for Bayer 04 in his ten years at the Werkself. Many happy returns, Kai and Gonzalo.
The thrilling 3-1 win for Bayer 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Hinrunde is a fond memory for Alejandro Grimaldo, with his brace from free kicks, and coach Kasper Hjulmand, who was in the dugout under the Cross for the first time. Now comes the return fixture in the metropolis on the River Main and after going out of the DFB Pokal and the Champions League, the full focus at Eintracht, currently managed by two interim coaches, is now on the Bundesliga. For their part, the Werkself will do everything in their power to continue the longest winning run against a Bundesliga club. The matchday news.
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Bayer 04 have ended Artem Stepanov’s loan deal at Nürnberg and agreed a new loan to Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Ukrainian striker did not play as much as hoped for at the Bundesliga 2 club and will now continue his development in the Eredivisie for the rest of 2025/26.
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After back-to-back wins at home, Bayer 04 are now out for their first away win of 2026 as they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (15:30 CET). Ahead of the Matchday 20 fixture in the Bundesliga, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about renewed confidence, Frankfurt’s recent issues and Patrik Schick’s form so far this year.
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Eintracht Frankfurt are yet to win a game in 2026 and have managed only one victory in their last 12 competitive fixtures. Having already been eliminated from the DFB Pokal and the UEFA Champions League, the Eagles are now focusing solely on the Bundesliga as they seek to get their season back on track with the visit of the Werkself on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the lowdown on our next opponents…
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