Following Wednesday's session away from the training ground, the Werkself were able to put their football boots on again this morning. Due to the continuing heatwave, Heiko Herrlich and his coaching team brought training forward by half an hour to 10.00 CET – However the thermometer at the training ground was already showing a sizzling 33° early in the day. And it didn't take long before all of the total of 21 pros (plus 3 keepers) were sweating. No wonder the Werkself took regular drinks breaks. And after the training session there were other measures for cooling down. In terms of personnel, Jonathan Tah, Dominik Kohr, Paulinho and five U19 players (Ayman Azhil, Jan Boller, Kevin Bukusu, Cebralis Makreckis and Adrian Stanilewicz) were joined by Panos Retsos in full training. At least for the first part for the Greek. After that, he worked with Charles Aránguiz with the ball on the neighbouring pitch. In addition to Karim Bellarabi and the two long-term absentees Lukas Hradecky and Joel Pohjanpalo, the Bender twins (both picked up ankle problems in the recent friendlies against Siegen (3-0) and Wuppertal (2-0) were both absent at the start. Lars did appear 70 minutes after the start of training for an individual session on the pitch. By the way: The final session of the week is at 9.30 CET tomorrow morning.
In the Monday edition of the sports magazine 'kicker', Sven Bender, Jonathan Tah (both central defence) and Bernd Leno (goalkeepers) made it into the rankings of German football thanks that there performances in the second half of last season. Today's edition (#61) reveals that five other Werkself pros have earned recognition. In the position of 'Wing backs', Bayer 04 captain Lars Bender was ranked third by the editors behind Nico Schulz (Hoffenheim) and Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) out of a total of 13 under the heading 'International class'and left back Wendell was thirteenth in the 'Up-and-coming' group. In defensive midfield, Charles Aránguiz held off the competition to finish top ahead of FC Bayern's Javi Martinez – team-mate Julian Baumgartlinger was ranked sixth out of a total of nine. In addition: Fritz Walter gold medal winner Kai Havertz was ranked eighth out of ten candidates in the offensive midfield category. Applause all round for the Werkself quintet.
Three weeks after the official start of the pre-season, Saturday marks the end of the special break for World Cup participant Julian Brandt. While his team-mates take part in the last friendly before the training camp in Salzburger Land (29 July to 5 August) away to the Dutch team Fortuna Sittard (Kick-off 18.00 CET), the Werkself number 10 will be going through the obligatory pre-season performance tests. The 22-year-old will undergo examination of heart and kidneys by the medical section at the Werkself. The day after that, Brandt will join the rest of the Bayer 04 squad In heading off to Austria. World Cup runner-up Tin Jedvaj will return to the Werkself after the training camp – he will probably return to full training on 8 August.
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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