Simon Rolfes: "I wanted to make time in my first year as Managing Director to look over the structures and procedures in the sporting area – and make adjustments as necessary. The creation of the new position is a result of this process and I'm very happy that we have been able to appoint Thomas Eichin in this role." The experience, commitment and leadership ability of Eichin's, plus the very close corporation to date, have made him the ideal candidate for this position, according to Rolfes.
Thomas Eichin: "I didn't plan to take this step in my career. But the job is very exciting, takes account of the high demands in a modern sports organisation and, beyond that, offers lots of possibilities to develop it. I'm very happy with the confidence Simon Rolfes and Bayer 04 have in me. With my experience of 25 years in professional sport, I’d like to make my contribution to helping the club be more professional and more successful in the future."
Eichin's areas of responsibility will include the areas of staff, nutrition, organisation, infrastructure and logistics. Beyond that, the new 'head of professional football' will also provide a link from the professional teams to the medical section but also to other areas of the club.
Rolfes and Eichin will temporarily cover the vacant position of Head of Performance Centre until further notice. Rolfes: "We have made a number of changes in the youth section recently. But it remains a challenge for us. We will carry out a careful candidate and selection process to come up with an excellent and long-term solution to meet the demands of Bayer 04."
The areas of scouting and squad planning remain unaffected by the new structure. Kim Falkenberg, as Head of Recruitment, reports directly to the Bayer 04 Sporting Managing Director. "Kim Falkenberg has done an excellent job in his section in recent years. His role has assumed even more responsibility with the departure of Tim Steidten earlier in the year. I'm happy that he is part of our sports management team."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended Abdoulaye Faye’s contract by a further year to 30 June 2031. During the 2026/27 season, the talented defender will play for Celta Vigo on loan without an option to buy. The 21-year-old Senegalese is set to feature in La Liga and the UEFA Europa League with last season’s sixth-placed side in Spain.
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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. The programme on day one (Sunday 2 August) includes a media round with managing director sport Simon Rolfes, free time for the team after the friendly against Rot-Weiss Essen and before an intensive week of training begins, as well as a coffee get-together where CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes met around 100 fans in the afternoon.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have agreed Kerim Alajbegovic’s transfer to Italian record champions Juventus. The club brought the 18-year-old attacking player back to Leverkusen this summer via a buy-back option, following a season at Red Bull Salzburg. Until his move to Austria, the Bosnia international had been playing for Bayer 04’s Under-19s.
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A warm welcome to the Weimarer Land, Bayer 04! The Werkself moved into their accommodation for this year’s training camp on Saturday evening. In Blankenhain, Thuringia, head coach Carles Martínez’s team have a programme of gruelling training sessions – several of which will be open to fans – and team-building activities lined up for the next six days. We’ll be following the Werkself up close and providing you with exclusive insights, quotes, photos and videos from the training camp.
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With 22 days to go until the start of the Bundesliga campaign, the Bayer 04 Women’s team have gained a fresh boost of confidence. In a friendly against Belgian top-flight side KRC Genk on Saturday afternoon, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team secured a 1–0 win. Lobke Loonen (20’) scored the winner for the Black and Reds at the Kurtekotten training centre.
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