
Werner Wenning, chair of the shareholders committee at Bayer 04, believes the club is in a good position: "I'm very happy that Fernando Carro will continue his successful work for Bayer 04 Leverkusen over the long term. He has been outstanding in representing the club at home and abroad. His voice has increasing weight and that also does Bayer 04 good."
The Werkself have qualified for European competitions in all of the four years since Carro took up his post. The team under head coach Gerardo Seoane have achieved the best finish in six years with third place in the Bundesliga ensuring direct qualification for the Champions League.
At the Werkself, Carro has primarily promoted the development and professionalism of the football company with a staff of now around 300. In addition, he has worked with the retiring sporting managing director Rudi Völler and his successor Simon Rolfes in the transition of responsibilities on the footballing side.
The 57-year-old has represented Bayer 04 as a board member on the European Club Association (ECA) since 2021. Carro is also involved with various UEFA working parties – including the committee that prepared the decisions around Champions League reform 2024.
Fernando Carro: "The emotional and dynamic environment of football means a lot to me just as much as the professional parameters offered at Bayer 04. We have already been able to achieve much together. Now it is all about making the maximum of the solid foundations and us being able to continue to improve. We are pursuing ambitious targets in all areas of our organisation. We want a modern and innovative club that is, above all, successful on the pitch."

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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