Simon Rolfes on…
…his emotions after the announcement of Xabi Alonso leaving at the end of the season: "Farewells are always emotional. Of course, you start thinking about looking back at the time together and the memory of great moments with the league title win and the DFB Pokal but also the first discussions and the first weeks. All those experiences will be there forever and connect us forever."
…discussions with Xabi Alonso: "Of course, this moment is not all too surprising for us today. Communication with Xabi was and is very open and transparent at all times and the level of trust accordingly great. The final decision came this week even though there was obviously movement and certain thoughts before that."
…discussions on the successor in the dugout: "When I started here it was always said that everything would be over if Kai Havertz left. It didn't turn out to be like that. And it won't be like that again now and things will obviously carry on. Of course, we have had discussions recently and weighed our options and Xabi knew that too. But until something is 100% certain we will not be in the final phase of discussions. The decision has been made and therefore we logically move into that final phase. We will find a good solution for Bayer 04 and are firmly convinced that we will enter a new successful era."
…the future of Florian Wirtz: "Of course, there are different options with Flo, a lot of clubs are very interested in him. But one option is that he stays with us. He still has two years on his contract and that means we aren't forced to make a decision in the next five days. There is no exact timetable."
…squad planning and players in and out: "First of all it's human response to think about your own future after a successful time with a coach. That's completely normal. As a club, we are very ambitious and we want to have a top coach and a top team next season too. I don't think it's bad that there will be changes. There will be a wind of change and we will create a new dynamic. Lots of players, lots of important players will stay. And we will also bring in good players."
FC Augsburg are top of the table for the first time in their Bundesliga history. After two wins for starters, FCA lead the German top-flight with six points and a goal difference of 7 to 1. This Saturday, 12 September (kick-off: 15:30 CEST), Augsburg are looking to build on their strong start to the season against the Werkself. The lowdown on our next opponents.
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The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed the kick-off times for the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Thursday. Bayer 04 will meet 1. FC Nürnberg on Wednesday 28 October at 20:45 CET.
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This Wednesday afternoon, the German Football Association (DFB) announced the exact kick-off times for Matchday 6 in the Google Pixel Women’s Bundesliga. According to the fixture list, the Bayer 04 Women’s home match against Werder Bremen will be played on Friday, 2 October, at 18:30 CEST.
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Just in time for the start of the school year, everyone was hard at work again at NaturGut Ophoven. For the 21st time, Bayer 04 have supported the annual ‘BioBrotbox’ campaign, which puts together a healthy breakfast for first-year primary school pupils in Leverkusen – and not only contributed 1,904 muesli bars but also plenty of enthusiasm too: Together with the U19 players Burak Kir and Clinton Wilson, Emily Wallrabenstein and Paulina Platner from the Women’s Bundesliga team helped with the packing. The latter was clearly delighted “that Bayer 04 are helping out with regional projects like this and showing their commitment to the local community”.
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