"We’ve been looking at Jonas for a long time and we are happy he's decided to join Bayer 04," said sporting managing director Simon Rolfes about the 2022 World Cup player. "Thanks to his vision, his outstanding technical ability as well as his experience, he is the type of player we’ve been looking for to strengthen our squad."
Jonas Hofmann started his professional career at TSG Hoffenheim. After five years at Borussia Dortmund, including a 12-month loan spell at Mainz 05, the Heidelberg-born player joined Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2016. The right-footer made a total of 184 Bundesliga appearances for the Foals scoring 40 goals and providing 40 assists. Hofman has four full international caps for Germany to date.
The new Leverkusen signing said: "I'm very grateful to Borussia for the past seven years. I had a brilliant time there. But recently I’v increasingly had the feeling of wanting to do something new. Bayer 04 fit the bill as the club has been amongst the top German sides for years and they are always keen to compete in Europe. The team is exciting and possesses an incredible amount of quality. I'm really looking forward to this next chapter."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have appointed Carles Martínez Novell as the new head coach. The 42-year-old Spaniard worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. Martínez finished last term in ninth place with the club from the south of France. He will take over the Werkself on 1 July 2026 and has signed a contract to 30 June 2028. Martínez, whose contract with Toulouse expires at the end of the month, succeeds Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen, who is leaving the club after one season.
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Welcome to Leverkusen, Carles Martínez Novell. Bayer 04 have appointed the 42-year-old Spaniard as the new head coach on a contract to 2028. Martínez most recently worked for FC Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 until the end of the season. He previously spent four years at Barcelona's legendary academy La Masia in his home city. Bayer04.de introduces Martínez in more detail.
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Bayer 04 plans for the 2026/27 pre-season continue to take shape. The Werkself will kick off the new season in mid-July with the return to the training ground. The highlight will be the official season opener on 8 August at the BayArena, including a friendly against La Liga club Sevilla. Friendlies in Germany will take the team to neighbouring Monheim, Offenbach and Jena.
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Strengthening the Bayer 04 Leverkusen youth teams: Konstantinos Kotsifakis will join the Werkself from Bundesliga 2 club Hertha Berlin for the 2026/27 season, where he will be a permanent member of the Leverkusen U19 coaching set-up. The German-Greek will also take on an operational role in coaching the Bayer 04 Future Team. The 29-year-old was most recently head coach of the U17s at Hertha Berlin.
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Another award for the Bayer 04 head groundsman and staff: After coming top in the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2024/25 seasons, the BayArena pitch came second in the Bundesliga Pitch of the Year ranking for the 2025/26 season. VfL Wolfsburg secured the top spot this year, with TSG Hoffenheim in third place.
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