Simon Rolfes, the sporting managing director at Bayer 04, assesses Tapsoba's contract extension as "absolutely showing the way forward for our team and our club. Edmond is one of the best central defenders in the Bundesliga, he definitely has the potential to make it to the top on the international stage," declared Rolfes. "This contract extension sends out a signal for us. We have ambitious targets at Leverkusen that we want to achieve with great players like Edmond Tapsoba. His quality on the pitch combined with his enormous ease and calm make Edmond a top player and a key member of our squad."
Tapsoba sees the contract extension as "a commitment to a club I have built up a very emotional connection to since my arrival in January 2020. The environment at Leverkusen is special for me," emphasised the 1.94 metre tall right-footer. "The support from the fans for the team is fantastic, our squad gets better year by year and I'm absolutely convinced I have the best conditions at Bayer 04 for a successful future."
In mid-August, the Werkself will set off on a four-day trip to England to play their final two friendly matches of the 2026/27 pre-season against Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. The match in Nottingham against the Tricky Trees is on Wednesday 12 August at 20:45 CEST (19:45 BST) at the City Ground. The game against the Magpies in Newcastle is on Saturday 15 August at 16:00 CEST (15:00 BST) at the atmospheric St James’ Park. Details on ticket sales for both matches.
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Black and Red talent development at the highest level – even off the pitch: Apprentices Jule Suermann, Leandra Bellia and Julia Niederheide have successfully completed their two- or three-year apprenticeships at the club. Bayer 04 honoured the trio at the BayArena on Tuesday.
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Rieden reloaded: Just like last year, the Bayer 04 Women’s team are spending their summer training camp in this idyllic corner of Bavaria. From this Sunday, coach Roberto Pätzold’s team will be based in Rieden in the Upper Palatinate for a week.
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Following the summer break, most of the players are back in Leverkusen. While two Bayer 04 first-team players are still in action at the World Cup, the players present officially kicked off the new season with fitness assessments. At the Werkstatt, the Bayer 04 rehabilitation and training centre, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba and the rest of the squad worked up quite a sweat in the sweltering summer heat. New signings Afonso Moreira and Kennet Eichhorn also successfully completed the day’s sessions alongside their new team-mates.
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The Werkself return tomorrow, Tuesday 14 July (from 11:00 CEST at the BayArena; live stream on bayer04.de, the Bayer 04 app and YouTube), with new head coach Carles Martínez leading his first training session as part of the Bayer 04 set-up. His coaching team comprises a mix of new and long-standing colleagues.
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