“In Lisanne Gräwe we have been able to bring a top talent to our team. She has everything to settle in quickly to the Bundesliga, is a good ball-winner, and also has the necessary quality in midfield. We are very much looking forward to working with each other,” said Bayer 04 head coach Achim Feifel about the 18-year-old.
Gräwe has been at VfL Wolfsburg since 2019, primarily in Bundesliga 2 North, and she moved up to the senior team, making her Bundesliga debut at the age of 17. “I’m starting a new chapter here at Bayer 04. Of course, I have followed the club and their development in the Bundesliga and I’m looking forward to the new challenge,” said the midfielder.
The Bayer 04 Women have gained an ambitious defender in Julia Pollak. The 19-year-old clocked up her first experience on the pitch with the Bayern Munich second team in Bundesliga 2 South before moving up to the first team last term. She made six appearances in the league, two in the DFB Cup and four in the Champions League. Pollak’s first season in the top flight was crowned by winning the league title. The defender “wants to gain more match practice” and sees the move to Leverkusen as “the right next step in my career.”
Achim Feifel on the new signing: “Julia was able to prove herself in Munich in an absolute top team. She is very versatile and assertive and her technical ability from the full-back position allows her to mount attacking moves. It’s great that she’ll be wearing the Bayer 04 shirt for our team in the new season.”
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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