“Karólína was an exhilarating addition straightaway last season and she strengthened our attacking game. She also fitted in perfectly with the team on a personal level and she made it clear to us she really feels at home here in Leverkusen," said Achim Feifel, the Bayer 04 Women's team sporting director: "Therefore, we are very happy we have agreed a new loan deal with FC Bayern. Everybody involved will continue to benefit from it."
Vilhjálmsdóttir joined Leverkusen on loan from the Munich side last summer. In 22 appearances in the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga, the 22-year-old scored five goals and provided seven assists putting her level with striker Nikola Karczewska as the best scorer and provider at Bayer 04. She scored once in three DFB Pokal matches. The midfielder has scored nine goals in 39 international appearances for Iceland.
"For me, everything was right here with the girls and the staff from the start. I was able to assume an important role in the team immediately, I have developed as a player and learned to take on more responsibility," said Vilhjálmsdóttir: "It was a heartfelt wish of mine to stay here for another year. I had a very good conversation with our new coach and I'm firmly convinced we will have a strong squad for next 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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