"Sofie has already developed into a seasoned Bundesliga player for us at a young age," said Achim Feifel, Bayer 04 Women sporting director. "To already have such a central role in the team before the age of 20 is anything but a matter of course. She is thus also an example to the other young players in our squad, so we're very glad that we've been able to tie her to us for the long term. Her potential for development is far from exhausted."
Having made her Bundesliga debut in March 2021 at the age of 16, the Germany U20 international racked up her 50th competitive appearance for Leverkusen in the 1-0 defeat at RB Leipzig last time out. The daughter of ex-Werkself midfielder Thomas Zdebel has featured in 17 out of 19 Bundesliga matches this season, starting 16 of them.
"I have close ties here through my family and friends, I've been able to progress very well in the last six years and have established myself as a Bundesliga player," explained Zdebel. "The conditions and the environment here are just a great fit. I want to continue on this journey with the club."
Bayer 04 are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal after a 4-0 win at Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday night. The game was paused after only 18 minutes due to a storm over the ground. After a lengthy delay, play resumed and Patrik Schick opened the scoring. Arthur, Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo made things more comfortable in the second half, as the fourth-tier side had two players sent off.
Show moreThere were no goals across 115 minutes of football between Bayer 04 Women and PSV Eindhoven in Friday’s friendly. Roberto Pätzold’s team played two 45-minute periods before an extra 25 minutes two days prior to heading to Rieden for their training camp. Their Dutch opponents were preparing for their UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifier in 12 days.
Show moreThe first round of the DFB Pokal takes Bayer 04 to Sonnenhof Großaspach on Friday. The amateur club have just gained promotion to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest and kicked off their campaign with two impressive wins. Here’s all you need to know as Erik ten Hag makes his competitive bow as Werkself boss at the WIRmachenDRUCK Arena (kick-off: 6pm CEST).
Show moreAfter two months preparing for the new season, the Werkself play the first game of the 2025/26 campaign on Friday, 15 August (kick-off: 18:00 CEST) away to SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB Pokal. Ahead of the tie against the team newly promoted to the Regional League South West, head coach Erik ten Hag talked about his approach to the knockout game and his soft spot for cup competitions.
Show moreBayer 04 Leverkusen has a new Premium Partner in its ranks in Düsseldorf company LumenHaus GmbH. The leading provider of networked home energy solutions has initially agreed a one-year partnership with the Bundesliga runners-up to the end of the 2025/26 season.
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