One can be in denial when facing a cruel reality. Three weeks ago, Erik ten Hag, in the midst of preseason preparations with his new team, Bayer Leverkusen, was asked about the potential departure of midfielder Granit Xhaka, who had been linked with a return to the Premier League.
“It’s clear: Granit is a key player. He signed here for five years and still has three years left on his contract,” the former Manchester United manager replied. “He’s too important to us to let him go.”
By this point in the summer, Leverkusen had already lost genius tactician Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, budding superstar Florian Wirtz and electric wing back Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool, and Germany center back Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich. All of these departures were more or less expected, and completed in the first weeks of the transfer window.
The hope inside Leverkusen HQ, though, was that all the dominoes had already fallen. They did not expect to also lose Xhaka, who was instrumental in winning both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in 2024, went back to the Premier League with Sunderland a genuine blow to Ten Hag’s plans.
From a performance perspective, Leverkusen will be able to replace the aging Xhaka, as Exequiel Palacios has been eager to take up greater responsibility on the pitch. Replacing Xhaka’s leadership qualities, though, will be a much taller order. In fact, without Xhaka, Tah, Wirtz and goalkeeper and captain Lukas Hradecky — who joined AS Monaco last week — the Werkself lack a certain maturity, grit and composure.
It is reminiscent of the not-too-distant past, when Leverkusen fielded a number of competent footballers, but were unable to clear the final hurdle to become title contenders. Wirtz and Xhaka were not just great players who perfectly fit in Alonso’s possession-first style; they also instilled an unwavering belief in winning. During their historic 2023-24 double campaign, Leverkusen scored 11 tying or go-ahead goals in second-half stoppage time.
The annals of the BayArena glisten with the fresh paint of murals celebrating that 2023-24 season. A large photo of the title-winning team hangs in the media area, where one club employee became quite sentimental, pointing at all the players who have left and concluding that Leverkusen won’t win anything this year.
A fresh start for Ten Hag
Much of the player exodus can be explained by Alonso’s decision to move to Madrid. Ten Hag was brought in as successor in part because Leverkusen believe his reputation can help recruit new players.
“The way of how we play football, which is important to us — offensive and dominant, technical football — that fits well together,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes upon Ten Hag’s appointment. “But he has also repeatedly shown in the past that he can develop talents to an international top level.”
The Dutch manager is determined to rebuild his image following a turbulent two-and-a-half year stint in charge of Manchester United. When Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford, the Red Devils were already in dire need of a fresh start, and they had hoped the former Ajax boss would manage to turn that large ship around. Despite finishing his debut Premier League season in third and winning the Carabao Cup, he was eventually run out of town like so many before him.
“It is not about Manchester United. That topic is over,” Ten Hag told reporters after Leverkusen’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Friday. “I am happy to be back. I have enjoyed the past weeks.”
Going from Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen may feel like a return to where he was most successful. Ajax have been a haven for outstanding prospects, and Leverkusen are trying to be something similar. Ten Hag spoke with PSV Eindhoven manager Peter Bosz about Leverkusen — where he coached between 2018 and 2021 — before taking the role. Considering the size of the club and the city, Leverkusen can feel more like a family operation, despite being funded by chemical giant Bayer.
In response to several key departures, Rolfes signed young footballers with upside, most notably 19-year-old midfielder Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin, former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah and United States star Malik Tillman from Bosz’s PSV. Even though Tillman is a different type of player than Wirtz, he’s been deemed the successor to the Germany international, although that is likely setting unreasonable expectations on the 23-year-old arrival.
“[Wirtz] is a very young player, but he already had such a big influence on Leverkusen’s game and the game of the German national team,” Ten Hag said recently. “We have to work together to replace him. It is almost impossible, but we will try.”
A work in progress
Thirty-year-old midfielder Robert Andrich contemplated leaving Leverkusen because of his limited usage last season, but ultimately decided to stay. He succinctly summed up the feeling of those in the dressing room: “I believe it would be wise for all of us to forget about the departures and not shed tears over them anymore, even though they were important players.”
Tillman has been rarely seen or heard since signing last month. He was not part of Leverkusen’s squad for friendlies against Chelsea and Pisa. Ten Hag first indicated that he and his staff needed to monitor Tillman’s exhaustion levels during preseason after his standout Gold Cup campaign with the U.S., but as it turns out, he has been suffering from a calf injury that could sideline him for the start of the Bundesliga season.
With so many departures and one of his key reinforcements missing through injury, Ten Hag has made sure to avoid any remarks that could increase expectations. The reality for the 55-year-old is that his team is a work in progress. Only days before Leverkusen’s first competitive game, a DFB-Pokal match against fourth-tier Sonnenhof Großaspach, Rolfes and the powers that be are tirelessly working on transfers.
While Leverkusen managed to replace Tah with Quansah, and arguably Wirtz with Tillman and Maza, they have yet to sign a new right winger who could fill the void left by Frimpong. Former Southampton starlet Nathan Tella is certainly equipped to play on the right side, and Arthur can be a backup wing back, but the lack of depth on the wings is a concern.
As a result, Leverkusen have been chasing Monaco’s 23-year-old Maghnes Akliouche for months, although the competition in the transfer market is strong. They did sign Ernest Poku, a 21-year-old winger from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, but he is another player with a lot of upside who might need time before performing at the level of his predecessors.
What has given the club hope is that Patrik Schick decided to extend his contract until 2030. The veteran striker was just like Alejandro Grimaldo or Piero Hincapié, reported to be contemplating a move away this summer but eventually deciding to stick with the Werkself and try to lead the rebuild.
With Alonso, Wirtz, Frimpong, Tah, Xhaka and Hradecky all gone, the demolition phase of that rebuild appears to be over, allowing Ten Hag to finally focus on his first season at BayArena with the a largely set group of players — even if his first few weeks in charge might look rough amid all the personnel changes. The Dutchman already sounds confident, though.
“We have a new challenge,” Ten Hag said. “The team, the coach, the board — we will develop a new era here.”
