Peter Bosz takes over as coach from Heiko Herrlich

The 54-year-old, who took Ajax through to the Europa League final against Manchester United in 2017, has signed a contract to 30 June 2020. Bosz will be joined at Leverkusen by his assistant coach Hendrik  'Hendrie' Krüzen.

"Heiko Herrlich gave our team an important boost last year after a very difficult season and he took us into Europe. We were convinced and determined to turn the corner with him as head coach. Unfortunately, there  has been an undeniable stagnation in the development of the team. Even though we are within reach of the European positions at the end of the year we find ourselves in a situation after a less than satisfactory first half of the season that makes a change of coach essential from our point of view," said Rudi Völler as sporting managing director in explaining the decision.

"With Peter Bosz as manager we want to get back to meeting our ambitious targets as quickly as possible," declared the Bayer 04 chairman Fernando Carro. "Of course, that is also down to the players. They have to consistently show their undoubted ability, which unfortunately has rarely been evident over the past six months."

In the view of Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes, Peter Bosz wants to play "Attacking, high tempo and exciting football.  He has always demonstrated particular passion in working with young players wherever he has coached. Therefore, Peter is an excellent fit here with us as we have placed great emphasis on developing highly talented youth players and bringing them through to the top level in a balanced combination with experienced pros for many years. Our team will benefit from having Peter Bosz as our coach," declared Rolfes. "Particularly at Ajax, he demonstrated he can improve young players, build teams and also compete on the European stage."