“They were special days. The approach from Bayer 04 was really unexpected. However, I was quickly as keen as mustard – also with the idea of being ‘on loan’. At this point, thanks go to the DFB in particular who quickly made it possible for me to accept this challenge,” said the new Werkself coach, who was the Germany U18 coach up to this point (click HERE for the press release). Hannes Wolf will give up this function at the DFB for the time being as he takes over the helm at the Black and Reds. The coach who secured promotion to the Bundesliga for VfB Stuttgart: “Now it’s about being successful in the remaining eight games.”
The club management have not ruled out an extension to the contract beyond the summer. Sporting director Simon Rolfes: “We initially focussed on finding the best solution for the these eight weeks. We’ll take our time to see what happens up to the summer and then look at taking the next step.”
The new Werkself head coach found a suitable verbal image: “A season is normally a marathon,” said Wolf. “This is an 800 metre race.”
Wolf will have the support of the veteran coach Peter Hermann as his assistant at Bayer 04. The 69-year-old can look back at 29 years at Leverkusen as a player, assistant and caretaker coach. Wolf on working his future assistant: “I’m very happy with the great depth of his experience. I think it all really goes well together.”
Wolf starts his role at Leverkusen with a clear plan: “We need two things now: The players have to quickly find the energy again to rediscover their ease and strength. And we need a good balance on the pitch between defence and attack. We’ll work on all these things now.” The first training session under the new head coach is set for Wednesday and there will be daily training sessions up to Saturday.
After a short break on Sunday, the start of next week will bring preparations for the Bundesliga home game against Schalke 04 on Sunday 4 April (kick-off: 15.30 CEST). Time enough for Wolf to get to know his new squad. “We’ll set about it with energy but also with caution,” said the new head coach.
As part of the press conference, sporting managing director Rudi Völler and sporting director Simon Rolfes shared their thoughts on Wolf’s predecessor Peter Bosz. The 57-year-old Dutchman started at the Werkself in December 2018 and took them to the Champions League in 2019 and the DFB Cup final in 2020. Völler: “Peter is a great person and coach and nobody doubts his abilities. Even with all our appreciation for him, given the development over the last two and a half months, we the board have come to the conclusion there is no alternative to parting company.”
Sporting director Rolfes added: “I’d like to say a big thank you to Peter Bosz for his work with us. We had a successful time together. Unfortunately, the development and results over the last three months were very disappointing. Therefore, it is essential to make changes. Now we are convinced we have made the right adjustments in the new situation and we can help the team achieve the momentum to reach our targets.”
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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A successful fourth preseason friendly ahead of the start of the training camp: The Werkself secured a 3-0 victory over Rot-Weiss Essen at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium. The goals in what was a commanding and dominant performance by Leverkusen from the outset were scored by Ibrahim Maza (8'), Patrik Schick from the penalty spot (23’) and, in the second half, Montrell Culbreath with a header (79’). The team set off for their training camp in Blankenhain in the Weimarer Land region after the game.
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Rüdiger Vollborn has been at the club for 40 years, he holds the record number of Bundesliga appearances for the club (401) and is the only Bayer 04 player to have won both the UEFA Cup (1988) and the DFB Pokal (1993). And the Berliner stayed with the Werkself after ending his impressive playing career as he worked as a goalkeeping coach for the following nine years. Vollborn now works under the Bayer Cross as a fan liaison officer and club archivist. Since February 2021, the personal Black and Red lexicon takes Werkself fans under the heading of 'Rudi recounts...' on a brief trip through the history of Bayer 04 every month…
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You have voted – your ‘Team of the Quarter-Century’ has been decided! This historic selection, covering the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2024, features honorary captains, Bundesliga champions, double winners and Champions League finalists. Edmond Tapsoba is the only player from the current Bayer 04 squad to make it into the starting XI, while his team-mate Patrik Schick is on the bench. Simon Rolfes, the current managing director sport, is also in the lie-up. A truly special team that brings together a quarter of a century of Bayer 04 history – and has left a decisive mark on the club.
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Following Patrik Schick, Mark Flekken, Ibrahim Maza and Kerim Alajbegovic earlier this week, the next World Cup participant is back on the training ground in Leverkusen: On Thursday 30 July, Malik Tillman rejoined the squad, completing his first training session under head coach Carles Martínez.
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