The successor to Bosz as head coach is Hannes Wolf to the end of the current season. The 39-year-old joins Bayer 04 from the German Football Association (DFB) where he was working as the Germany U18 coach. Wolf will be supported at Leverkusen by assistant coach Peter Hermann.
"Given the developments on the pitch over recent weeks, we have come to the conclusion we can no longer avoid parting company with Peter Bosz," explained sporting managing director Rudi Völler. "The 3-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin on Sunday was unfortunately indicative with our team again and again falling into the same pattern. We have not managed to stop making repetitive mistakes and get back to winning ways. After an objective and very open analysis of the sporting situation we have therefore agreed to make the break in spite of our great appreciation for Peter Bosz," said Völler.
"With the new coaches we want to turn a corner and get back on track," declared sporting director Simon Rolfes. "Hannes Wolf has performed impressively with big clubs as a very young coach – particularly impressive was the promotion to the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart. Hannes represents a style of football we want to play at Bayer 04: intense, offensive, aggressive, attractive. And, of course, successful – our European ambitions are still alive and we are in a Europa League spot in sixth place at the moment and we want to hold onto that at least," Rolfes made clear. "We are convinced we can achieve that with Hannes Wolf and Peter Hermann."
"I'm very happy about the confidence shown in me," declared Wolf, "Bayer 04 are not just any old club for me. Leverkusen has for many years been one of the most attractive clubs in German football. There is great ambition here and a very talented, exciting team. We have every opportunity of qualifying for Europe. It's down to us in the remaining eight games to achieve the maximum for Bayer 04 Leverkusen."
Wolf will be assisted by Peter Hermann. The signing of the 69-year-old is special as Hermann has already been at Bayer 04 for 29 years as a player, assistant and caretaker coach. "Peter's special strength is working with young players and we've got a number of them. As a player, I enjoyed our years together here at Leverkusen and I learned a lot from him," explained sporting director Rolfes. Hermann's view: "I've come full circle. I'm back here where my football career really took off and where I feel at home. I'll be happy if I can help the club."
This special event showed once again how strong Bayer 04 are as a team: As part of ‘BarmeniaGothaer gives joy’, the Werkself players Edmond Tapsoba, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane supported the sale of individually designed T-shirts for a good cause at the Fanwelt on Thursday. Several hundred fans came to take part in the charity campaign. Leverkusen's main sponsor BarmeniaGothaer donated the proceeds to the Fondation Edmond Tapsoba, which helps people in Tapsoba's home country of Burkina Faso in their challenging everyday lives.
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With three games to play before the end of the season, the Bayer 04 Women can break one record and equal another at SGS Essen. After three wins on the bounce, coach Roberto Pätzold's team are aiming to maintain the chance of third place in Sunday’s away game (14:00 CEST, Stadion an der Hafenstraße).
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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 personalised 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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From Ouagadougou to Leverkusen – and back: in March, Bayer 04 travelled with Edmond Tapsoba for a special project in his homeland Burkina Faso. The country where his roots and heart lie. The country where he’s more than a world-class defender: a symbol of hope and a role model for an entire generation. The result is a 45-minute documentary about Tapsoba’s long journey from Africa via Portugal to Leverkusen, which offers extraordinary, one-off and emotional insights.
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Edmond Tapsoba has signed an early extension to his contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. With two years left on his current deal, the 27-year-old Burkina Faso international has extended his contract until 30 June 2031. The centre-back joined as a young talent from Portuguese top-flight club Vitoria Guimaraes at the start of 2020.
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