Just over a year after celebrating a historic first league title under Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen find themselves stripped of key leaders, searching for cohesion, and unwilling to risk early-season drift.
Ten Hag’s abrupt exit, announced on Monday, underlines the tension between expectations and the harsh realities of Leverkusen rebuilding its squad and identity.
Leverkusen's season so far underwhelming
While Ten Hag's reign began with promise as he oversaw a convincing German Cup win against fourth division side Sonnenhof Grossaspach, it quickly unraveled.
The team's Bundesliga season begun with a 2–1 home defeat to Hoffenheim before a stoppage-time collapse in a 3–3 draw against 10-man Werder Bremen followed this past weekend.
Sporting director Simon Rolfes admitted Ten Hag's dismissal was painful but unavoidable: “The past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this set-up is not feasible."
Rolfes signalled the problem was not just results, but deeper doubts about whether the Dutch coach was the man to guide Leverkusen's fragile squad through upheaval.
Ten Hag's depature inevitable after Bremen draw
Ten Hag, who coached Bayern Munich's reserves from 2013 to 2015, inherited a Leverkusen squad in flux with the summer seeing an exodus of key players: Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jeremie Frimpong and Jonathan Tah were all sold while Alonso moved to Real Madrid.
It stripped away the backbone of the team that had defined Leverkusen’s identity. Integrating replacements proved difficult, with early performances showing confusion rather than cohesion between the players.
Reports from inside the club pointed to strained relationships and tactical misgivings. According to German magazine Kicker, pressing and counter-pressing — once the hallmarks of Leverkusen’s rise — were virtually absent.
Captain Robert Andrich added to the chorus of concerns, lamenting after the Bremen draw: “We have too many people who are concerned only with themselves… Everyone ran around the pitch on their own."
Germany international Robert Andrich has criticized his teammates publicly this seasonImage: Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON/picture alliance
Ten Hag himself admitted the turmoil but offered few solutions, saying: "There’s been a major upheaval. A lot has changed in the leadership and hierarchy of the team. New players have to step up. We didn’t do that well today."
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Who could comes next?
With the international break meaning a two-week break from Bundesliga fixtures, Leverkusen have placed assistant coaches Rogier Meijer and Andries Ulderink in temporary charge of first-team duties. The club confirmed in its official statement that training will be overseen by the existing staff "for the time being."
The search is underway for Ten Hag's replacement, with Cesc Fabregas a leading contender having reportedly entered into advanced talks over the role with Leverkusen before the club picked the former Manchester United head coach.
Fabregas is currently managing Italian side Como and is a minority shareholder there but has publicly hinted at leaving the club, fueling speculation that Leverkusen could be his next destination.
Bayer Leverkusen: From infamous runners-up to champions
Bayer Leverkusen have won the men's Bundesliga title for the first time. Dubbed "Neverkusen" for so long having finished second five times, their story had previously been one of heartbreak and intermittent Cup success.
Image: Amós Fernando/DW
Leverkusen start Bundesliga life against Bayern in 1979
The club was founded in 1904 as a sports team for workers of the Farbenfabrik vormals Friedrich Bayer Co. Leverkusen, which later became today's pharma giant Bayer AG. The team played in the lower leagues until 1979 when they were promoted to the Bundesliga. Their first top-flight game was a 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich.
Image: Ludwig Hamberger/dpa/picture alliance
Famous comeback against Espanyol to lift UEFA Cup in 1988
In a rare bit of silverware, Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup against Espanyol in 1988. Back then, the final was still played as a first and second leg. Leverkusen lost 3-0 in Barcelona and only equalized the tie in the second half at home, scoring three goals. The game went to penalties and Bayer triumphed 3-2 in the shootout, thanks to keeper Rüdiger Vollborn.
Image: Eissner/Kicker/IMAGO
German Cup triumph in 1993
Five years after their success in the UEFA Cup, Leverkusen lifted their second trophy. In the 1993 German Cup final, goalscorer Ulf Kirsten (right) and co. beat the reserve team from Hertha Berlin, who sensationally made it to the final. Leverkusen won 1-0, but it was the start of a long dry spell.
Image: Liedel/Kicker/IMAGO
'Neverkusen' curse begins to strike
At the end of the 1990s, Leverkusen became a real top team. General manager Reiner Calmund (right) hired coach Christoph Daum (left) and the club finished second in the Bundesliga three times (1997, 1998, 2000). But the taunts of "Vizekusen" ("Runner-upkusen" in German) or "Neverkusen" began to take hold.
Image: Roland Scheidemann/dpa/picture-alliance
Leverkusen and Ballack misery in 2000
Before the last Bundesliga matchday of the 1999/2000 season, Leverkusen had a three-point lead over Bayern Munich and only needed one more point at promoted Unterhaching to clinch the title. "Nobody can stop us," Daum said before the game. But an own goal by Michael Ballack (left) led to a 2-0 defeat. Bayern became champions instead.
Image: Bernd Weissbrod/dpa/picture alliance
Treble pursuit ends with nothing
In 2002, the "Neverkusen" effect was at its most extreme. First coach Klaus Toppmöller (third from left) saw his side let the Bundesliga title slip from their grasp in the last few matchdays and only finished second. Then Leverkusen also lost the German Cup final against Schalke. But the biggest game in the club's history, the third chance at a trophy in 2002, was still to come...
Image: Contrast/IMAGO
Real Madrid, Zidane special down Leverkusen in Champions League final
Leverkusen were also beaten in the 2002 Champions League final against Real Madrid in Glasgow. Zinedine Zidane (right) scored the winning goal with a famous volley. Leverkusen put up a respectable fight but lost 2-1. Shortly afterwards, five German national team players from Leverkusen also became runners-up at the World Cup. The national coach was Rudi Völler — a Leverkusen legend.
Image: Sven Simon/picture-alliance
Deserved defeat against Bremen in 2009
It took seven years for the Werkself to get another chance at a trophy. However, Leverkusen deserved to lose out to Werder Bremen in the 2009 German Cup final. The 1-0 win for Bremen sounds closer than the game turned out to be. Mesut Özil scored the winning goal. Current Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes (center) also played.
Image: Sven Simon/picture-alliance
Record start in 2011, but still only second
In 2011, Leverkusen and coach Jupp Heynckes (right) set a then Bundesliga record of 24 unbeaten games to start the season. However, Bayer never topped the table and Borussia Dortmund ended up as champions. Heynckes and his assistant coach Peter Hermann (left) were then hired by Bayern Munich, with whom they won the treble in 2013.
The 2020 German Cup final was bleak across the board for the Werkself. Due to the COVID pandemic, there were no spectators in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Leverkusen had no chance against Bayern Munich, mainly due to a poor first half, and lost 4-2. The wait for their first trophy since 1993 continued until this season's Bundesliga master class.
Image: Jürgen Fromme/firo Sportphoto/picture alliance
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Another possibility is former Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez, who has been seen by some as another candidate aligned with Leverkusen’s offensive football philosophy.
He helped Barca secure their first La Liga title in four years during the 2022-23 season as well as lifting the 2023 Spanish Supercopa. Xavi, Fabregas and Alonso were all central midfielders in Spain's 2010 World Cup winning squad and Leverkusen's CEO, Fernando Carro, also hails from Spain.
Imanol Alguacil, another Spaniard, is also seen as a possible outsider, with the Real Sociedad manager being cited by Sky Germany as a potential candidate, as he plays in a a style matched to Levekusen's core identity.
The 54-year-old's sides are known for aggressive pressing and quick recovery of possession, as well as being drilled to defend as a compact unit and staying organized even when pressing high.
