Trio sign new deals to 2022

That means head coach Achim Feifel can count on his goalkeeping duo of Klink/Wellmann after the summer. Anna Wellmann “is very much on the right track. She’s working hard on her development. She’s shown in her previous games that we can rely on her one hundred per cent,” the 55-year-old said.

Melissa Friedrich has been sidelined with a torn cruciate since the end of November. However, Feifel is certain the 22-year-old, “will return to her original performance levels after the injury. Melissa is a very reliable player with a distinct desire to win who accepts responsibility both on and off the pitch and she totally identifies with Bayer 04 and the team.”

And Feifel is also happy the homegrown 17-year-old Pauline Machtens – at Leverkusen since 2014 – is staying at the club: “Pauline is a young, very talented player who has developed really well over the past few months and is at the start of her football career. She is tenaciously pursuing her targets and we’re convinced of her development potential. That’s why we’re so looking forward to continuing working together.”