All information accurate as of August 12th, 2026.
Club Name: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Founded: 1904
Stadium: BayArena - 30,210 capacity
Nickname: Die Werkself (The Factory XI)
Titles: Bundesliga x1, DFB-Pokal x2, DFL-Supercup x1, UEFA Cup/Europa League x1
Head Coach: Carles Martínez Novell
Captain: Robert Andrich
Mascot: Brian the Lion
Goal Song: ATC - Around the World
2025/26 Season: 6th
Opening Fixture: Elversberg (A)
Carles Martínez Novell takes on after Kasper Hjulmand was relieved of his duties at the end of last season. Although fans and executives were disappointed in Hjulmand’s performance, we have to maintain some perspective here since Erik ten Hag was fired just two matches into the Bundesliga campaign, which set a new record for shortest tenure in the Bundesliga in terms of matches managed (rather than days in charge), and left the entire club in disarray. Hjulmand steadied things, and while the results fell away towards the end of the season to hand Champions Qualification elsewhere, I don’t think he did that badly all things considered.
Martínez Novell becoming available may have been what swayed Simon Rolfes, B04’s sporting director, to make the call to dismiss Hjulmand. The Spaniard managed various teams in FC Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy for many years, before joining Toulouse in France’s Ligue 1 in 2023. Three relatively successful seasons saw the club end 2025/26 in 9th place, and he plays in exactly the style you would expect a La Masia coach to play – usually setting up in a 3-4-3 reminiscent of Xabi Alonso’s invincibles, slow build-ups in possession but deploying aggressive pressing and counter-pressing out of possession.
B04 have far loftier expectations on the whole, and some fantastic young prospects, so will Martínez Novell be able to adapt to a new country, new league, and new language? I’m yet to be fully convinced, but he could equally be a managerial genius in waiting given his education.
Rolfes and his team have made no bones about their transfer strategy this summer, snapping up some of the most sought after young talents in Europe. Kennet Eichhorn, the holding midfielder that is mature far beyond his years, joins die Werkself from Hertha Berlin for a fee of €9m. Having only recently turned 17 at the end of July, Eichhorn is entering his second full season as a professional, having featured 19 times in all competitions last season. At 6ft1, he has a combative nature that saw him pick up seven yellow cards, which he might want to scale back. Unfortunately, he will not feature early in the season due to a diagnosis of a metabolic disorder which has caused his weight to drop significantly, and it will take some time for him to manage this issue and regain fitness.
Afonso Moreira signs from Olympique Lyon, the 21-year-old left-winger getting 19 combines goals and assists in all competition last season. The Portuguese man cost B04 a sizable €29.5m, and will be a starting option for Martínez Novell.
Miguel Gutiérrez joins the side from Serie A’s Napoli, the 25-year-old Spanish left-back signing for a deal worth €30m. Having graduated from Real Madrid’s academy, Gutiérrez spent three years as Girona’s first choice in his position before moving on to Napoli last summer. Fantastically adept going forward, he will be a suitable long-term replacement for Alejandro Grimaldo.
Their most recent signing is a World Cup finalist, having played 50 minutes for Argentina as they suffered a 1:0 defeat to Spain only a few weeks ago. Facundo Medina will cost B04 €23m to acquire him from Marseille, although he was on loan from Lens last season and only recently had his obligation to buy confirmed. Capable as a centre-back or left-back, Medina could slot nicely into Martínez Novell’s back three if he can somehow dislodge Edmond Tapsoba (a starter for six seasons) or Robert Andrich (the club captain).
Kerim Alajbegović, who featured and scored for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup recently, joined for €8m from Red Bull Salzburg, as the club exercised a buyback option on the man they let leave only last summer. But with the price being far below his market value, B04 chose to follow the money, selling the youngster for €30m to Juventus, rising to €40m with potential add-ons.
Two more big sales to discuss. The first player on the move is excellent club servant Alejandro Grimaldo, who was a key player for Xabi Alonso’s double-winning side in 2023/24. Now 30 years old, B04 did well to cash in by selling him to Atlético Madrid for €22m. Secondly, Piero Hincapié’s loan move to Arsenal was made permanent with the Premier League champions exercising their €40m option to buy for the Ecuadorian defender.
Ibrahim Maza is due to absolutely explode this season. The 20-year-old joined only last summer from Hertha Berlin, where he had his first full professional season in 2024/25, featuring in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations where he scored twice. He also played at the World Cup this summer but sadly failed to flourish in a not-so-impressive Algeria side. There is a reason, however, why Manchester City and now AC Milan are trying to sign him.
If Martínez Novell does go for the 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 (depending on how you look at it), I imagine Maza will feature as one of the two number 10s. If the Spaniard is as good as his reputation, Maza will likely be B04’s standout player and take his game to the next level. Just another step on this Berlin kid’s path to glory.
Given the suitability of Martínez Novell to the existing squad, the only immediate change from last season that I can see is Gutiérrez for Grimaldo. Medina could force his way into the line-up too, especially as the left-sided centre-back, although I think the current back three are nicely settled.
3rd. Most of the players in the title-winning side are now gone, so that means that B04 can finally regenerate and move on from that era. The 6th place finish last season was a disappointment, but the core of this squad was easily good enough to get into the Champions League, and they have only lost one starting player, while gaining a few options in the current transfer window.
1 -
2 -
3 - Bayer Leverkusen
4 -
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 - Union Berlin
9 -
10 -
11 - Mainz
12 -
13 -
14 -
15 -
16 -
17 - Köln
18 -
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.