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."
The Werkself need a win in their penultimate match of the season at RB Leipzig on Monday evening (18:00 CEST) to keep their hopes of third place alive until the final day. After Eintracht Frankfurt lost on Saturday, Roberto Pätzold's side can close the gap on their rivals to two points and leave it all to play for next Sunday.
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Werkself TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 1-3 loss at VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 33 of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season...
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Down to fifth from fourth place despite taking an early lead: in the head-to-head for a Champions League spot, Bayer 04 were 1-0 up at VfB Stuttgart with just a minute played thanks to an Aleix Garcia strike, but ultimately lost 3-1 (2-1) to the more determined hosts. It meant the Swabians leapfrogged the Werkself in the Bundesliga table on the penultimate matchday.
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Today sees Bayer 04 go head-to-head with their next direct rivals in the race for Champions League qualification (kick-off 15:30 CEST). Opponents Stuttgart are currently fifth in the table, level on points with the Werkself but one place below them due to a three-goal inferior goal difference. The Black and Reds' record at Bad Cannstatt tells a clearer story: they've not lost at VfB for over 16 years. One important factor in securing what would be three crucial points away from home is Leverkusen's strength on the counter-attack. Whilst Stuttgart are also extremely dangerous going forward, they will be without their captain. Today’s matchday news.
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