Josip Stanisic on…
…his first days in Leverkusen: After the signing on Sunday, I trained on my own on Monday because the squad had the day off. Today I was finally on the pitch with the lads for the first time. It was a great feeling – even though I completed some parts of the session on my own. But that's normal in a first training session particularly as I hadn't done anything for three days due to the talks around my move. But what I saw in such a short space of time: Here everybody is really into their football and is highly motivated.
…the reasons for his decision to sign for Bayer 04: The club showed great interest in me and they definitely wanted to have me. That really impressed me. On top of that, the playing style of the team and the game idea of the coach both suit me. The development here over the last few months has been really impressive and it struck me as extremely positive even from a few hundred kilometres away.
…his favoured position: I prefer playing at the back on the right rather than on the left but that's not a secret. But I can play on the right side of central defence in a back three or a back five. But for me in general: I play where the coach puts me in and where I can best help the team.
…competition at Bayer Leverkusen: The lads played really well against Leipzig and, of course, they justifiably have a certain advantage through that. But I will give my all from the first day to fight my way into the team as quickly as possible. I hope to get a lot of playing time not least because of all the games in three competitions over the course of the season. But the most important thing first is to build on the good start and carry on winning. To do that we have to remain calm, work hard and take it game by game. We can achieve a lot if we can do that..
…his recollection of the 2-1 defeat with FC Bayern at the BayArena in the middle of March: The match definitely impressed me most from my games in Leverkusen – and it wasn't a good one from a Bayern perspective. The atmosphere at the stadium was incredibly good, I was very surprised. That's why I can't wait to play in front of this crowd.
New signing Miguel Gutiérrez arrives in Leverkusen having won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and an Olympic gold medal. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard, signed from Napoli, is looking to the future – he wants to write the next chapter of success with the Werkself. Bayer04.de takes a closer look at the skilful, attack-minded left-back, who will wear the number 3 jersey.
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The Werkself's training camp in Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog you'll find all the insights and updates from the day. Day three (Tuesday 4 August) begins with a thorough open session on the pitch. After lunch, some players have media engagements at the team hotel, and then the team come together for a barbecue in the evening.
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Nine matches against teams from nine countries, two penalty shoot-outs won, and encounters that went far beyond football: As with last year, the Inklusionswerkself enjoyed an extraordinary week at the Genuine Cup 2026 in Houston, USA, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year, the Leverkusen side took part as Germany’s official representatives and, accordingly, took to the pitch in Germany kit. Together with 53 teams from 53 nations, the Black and Reds once again sent a powerful message of inclusion and participation – and also impressed on the pitch by winning their group.
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The Werkself training camp in the Weimarer Land all in one place: in our daily blog, you’ll find all the insights and updates from the day. The programme for day two (Monday, 3 August) centres on two training sessions – one in the morning (open to the public) and one in the early evening (behind closed doors) – at the nearby training grounds. In the afternoon, fans can look forward to a big fan meet-up with club legend Paulo Sergio at Schloss Blankenhain.
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