Bayer 04 have extended the contract with Yannik Schlößer by two years to 30 June 2023. The 19-year-old striker, who has played for several Werkself youth teams, joins FC Nürnberg on a 12-month loan deal with immediate effect. "Yannik is a very talented striker," said Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes. "We believe FC Nürnberg will give him the ideal opportunity to take the next step in his development as a football player."
A majority of the Werkself squad, plus additional players from the youth section, returned to the training ground this week and are now working flat-out for the new season. The new head coach Gerardo Seoane has held a training session every morning followed by further sessions in the gym at the BayArena in the afternoon.
Karim Bellarabi, Jonathan Tah and Co. completed an intensive set of drills on Friday morning all of which ended with shots at the goals minded by Lennart Grill, Niklas Lomb and U19 keeper Maximilian Neutgens. The high tempo and the varying workloads at the different stops saw the Werkself players work up a sweat. To finish off, there was a match on a small-scale pitch involving lots of tackles and quick decision making.
The summer internationals are in full swing. While the Werkself players at Euro 2020 (Lukas Hradecky, Joel Pohjanpalo, Julian Baumgartlinger and Patrik Schick) are now enjoying a well-deserved holiday, several of their Leverkusen teammates are still on international duty. A round-up:
Günter Drews completed his final steps in the youth section under the Bayer Cross in the middle of the 1980s. Signed from BFC Preussen, in his home town of Berlin, the midfielder made his breakthrough to professional football at Leverkusen. Drews made 46 Bundesliga appearances between 1985 and 1987. He went on to play in the top-flight for Hannover 96 and FC Nürnberg. The former player celebrates his 54th birthday today (Friday). Many happy returns, Günter.
Still playing at a young age is Chinedu Ekene. The centre-forward progressed through all the youth teams at Bayer 04 before moving onto the TSG Hoffenheim second team in 2018. The 22-year-old, celebrating his birthday today, joined third division MSV Duisburg in the summer. We wish you all the best, Chinedu.
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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