
Rudi Völler on...
...the signing of Kerem Demirbay and the retention of Kai Havertz:
"I said it to the coach again today: It would have been impossible to have made the decisions about Demirbay and Havertz a couple of years ago. The fact we have been able to hold on to the best player Germany has produced in the past few years and we have not become weaker, is a sign that we don't want to just bring young players through."
...further transfer activity:
"We made the most important decisions a few weeks ago. Everything we're doing now is fine tuning. Where can we improve? Where can bring in new players? We'll still do something. We want to make the squad a bit better. At the same time, I won't lose any sleep if we don't do any more business – given the squad we have now."
...dominoes:
"In Germany, there is always the feeling you have do do all you can in the transfer market as soon as possible. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge explained it well. Once the first domino has fallen, the top stars move on and that gets things going. With Griezmann, a big domino has definitely fallen so let's see what happens in the next few weeks. The main thing is there is a young player at Bayer Leverkusen who won't fall over. He stays upright."
...rotation:
"We are in three competitions again and we want to go as far as possible in the cup competitions. That's why we want to give the coach the opportunity to rotate. But it has to be right. There will soon be trouble if the squad is too big."
...targets for the coming season:
"Of course, we have ambitious targets. We want to qualify for the Champions League again. But you can't forget that there are four or five other teams behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, who both want to be champions, that want to be in the Champions League. But we have the ambition to do it again. But everything has to be in place. As was the case in the second half of last season."
...the DFB Cup:
"The cup is the competition you can win quickest. It is possible. But we can't afford to play like we did at Heidenheim last season. Of course, the desire is certainly there and the last time we were in the cup final was in 2009 against Werder Bremen. The atmosphere in Berlin is exceptional. And the sporting level was evident this year. Bayern against Leipzig was a great final. Leipzig competed on equal terms."
...the departure of Julian Brandt:
"In Julian Brandt we have lost a wonderful player. Even though we have received good money for him – if you think about what we spent on him five and a half years ago – I would have liked to hold on to him. But we have clearly shown with our transfers that we are prepared for departures and that Bayer 04 Leverkusen always carries on.
...Brandt's successor as the number 10:
"That position is made for Kai Havertz. He's a natural number ten. He's the biggest talent in that position for the past ten years."
...the future of Aránguiz:
"Charlie Aránguiz will not leave us in this transfer window. I don't get the impression he wants to go to England. If there is home sickness then a move to South America may be on the cards. Let's wait and see what happens. We've had good talks with his agent. We can be optimistic. I definitely hope that we can keep hold of him beyond the summer of 2020.


Two games – two wins: Bayer 04 have picked up maximum points from their two matches so far in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. What's more, of their previous 14 UEL matches, Bayer 04 have lost just one. Away to OFI Crete, Carles Martínez’s side are looking to add another successful performance on the European stage to their string of impressive displays. The Greeks, for their part, have been waiting four matches for a win, but Leverkusen should be on their guard: OFI’s most recent victory came against a German side. Today's matchday news.
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Ahead of Bayer 04's Europa League match away to OFI Crete in Greece, defender Jarell Quansah spoke to Werkself-TV...
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Brimming with confidence after five consecutive competitive wins, Bayer 04 face OFI Crete on Thursday evening, 22 October (kick-off: 19:45 local time, 18:45 CEST). Ahead of the UEFA Europa League clash on Greece’s largest island, head coach Carles Martínez spoke about the opposition and the late inclusion of Jonas Hofmann, whilst defender Jarell Quansah discussed the reasons behind the Werkself’s winning run.
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It couldn't have been any tighter! Despite winning four of six games in the online preliminary round in Showdown 1 of the VBL Club Championship 2026/27, Leverkusen eSports duo Marc and Sean Landwehr didn't make it through to the offline knockout round. Level on points (12) with seven other teams, Leverkusen were the only team with this points tally not to progress as they had the worst single-game record compared to their rivals.
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He's one of the leading figures of Leverkusen and the German economy: Werner Wenning rose from an apprentice at Bayer 04 to CEO of the global company. A childhood Werkself fan, he has held a position of responsibility at the club for many years as chairman of the shareholder committee of Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH. Today the Leverkusen native celebrates his 80th birthday. The entire Bayer 04 family offers its warmest wishes!
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