He has simultaneously and quickly impressed both fans and experts: Mitchel Bakker, signed from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, shone from the start with his powerful and pacy game. He has scored one goal and provided two assists in six Bundesliga matches for the Werkself.
These impressive performances have secured the Leverkusen left-back a place in the trio of players nominated by the DFL for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for September. Bakker is joined by Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) and Omar Marmoush (VfB Stuttgart).
You can vote for the Werkself defender as the #BLRookie for the month of September up to Thursday, 7 October at 23.59 CEST. You can vote HERE. The final result is made up as follows: 40 per cent of the vote comes from the fans with 30 per cent each from the 18 team captains plus a range of experts.
Florian Wirtz made his debut for Germany at the start of September. The 18-year-old has won another three caps since then. There could be another two in the next few days. Hansi Flick has called up Wirtz to his squad for the forthcoming matches against Rumania (8 October) and North Macedonia (11 October).
The 56-year-old explained the reasons for selecting the Leverkusen player: “His goals return and his goal involvements are outstanding for his age,” said Flick. “He had good self-confidence. He’s in the right place when it counts.”
Ömer Toprak is back in Leverkusen – albeit for rehab. The central defender, who has played for Werder Bremen for the past two years, has recently suffered from multiple muscle problems. Toprak has missed the last three second division games.
The 32-year-old, at Bayer 04 from 2011 to 2017, has decided to continue his rehab in Leverkusen. Dr. Burak Yildirim, the Werkself team doctor and the medical team at Werder Bremen are in close contact. “It’s important for us to find the best way forward for every player,” said Werder head coach Markus Anfang on Tuesday. Anfang knows the set-up at the Werkstatt as he worked as a youth coach at Bayer 04 from January 2013 to June 2016.
This week the Bayer 04 Women are not only to be seen on the pitch but also heard off it: The Leverkusen players Verena Wieder and Kristin Kögel were guests on the women’s football podcast ‘Nicht schlecht, Frau Specht!’. In conversation with presenters Markus Trümper and Danny Fritz there are exceptional anecdotes as well as the current events in the FLYERALARM Women’s Bundesliga. Last season, listeners of this podcast were able to hear from Bayer 04 player Jessica Wich.
The current episode with the two black and red offensive players Wieder and Kögel goes online on Wednesday 6 October and is available on all the usual podcast platforms. The previous episodes of ‘Nicht schlecht, Frau Specht!’ are HERE.
Bayer 04 congratulates Exequiel Palacios on his 23rd birthday. The midfielder is currently away on international duty and is already in Argentina. He is completing his first training sessions with the Argentina national team. In discussion with the Albiceleste medical team, the recently injured Leverkusen player will focus on his rehab programme in the first week of training. In week two, Pala should be available for Argentina.
And several former Leverkusen players celebrate their birthdays on this Tuesday: Hans-Jürgen Scheinert is 67 years old. The defender made 163 appearances for Bayer 04 from 1975 to 1981 and scored 9 goals for the club. In 1978/79 he and his teammates secured promotion to the Bundesliga.
Bayer 04 also wish Robbie Kruse all the best on his 33rd birthday. The Australian wore the black and red shirt from 2013 to 2017. And another birthday boy: Christian Beer, at the club from 1979 to 1982, celebrates his 63rd birthday. Many happy returns.
Bayer 04 also remember former head coach Sascha Lewandowski who would have been 50 on Tuesday. Lewandowski was a coach with the Werkself for eight years, including five with the youth teams plus two as head coach of the Bundesliga team. Lewandowski passed away in 2016.
Assistant coach Remzi Kahraman is leaving the Bayer 04 Women’s team with immediate effect to take up a new challenge abroad. The club has agreed to the 31-year-old’s request to leave, although his contract was originally due to run until 2027. A decision on his successor will be announced shortly.
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At the U19 European Championship in Wales, the Germany U19 national team lost their third and final group match 4-0 to Spain. Several regulars, including Bayer 04 players Montrell Culbreath and Francis Onyeka (on loan to SV Elversberg), who had combined for four goals and assists in the two previous victories, did not feature,. Germany had already secured their place in the semi-finals with a game to spare.
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The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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At the end of June, Bayer 04 became the first team in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga to begin their pre-season preparations. As well as training sessions at the Kurtekotten facility, the players under coach Roberto Pätzold completed the customary series of performance diagnostics. Werkself-TV presents exclusive insights and player interviews from the first few days after the summer break.
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