Erik ten Hag has been dismissed as Bayer Leverkusen head coach after only three matches in charge. The former Manchester United manager was appointed in May as Xabi Alonso’s successor, signing a two-year contract after Alonso left for Real Madrid. However, a disappointing start to the season led to his removal on Monday morning.
The decision followed a 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday, in which Leverkusen conceded two late goals, including a 94th-minute equaliser, despite Bremen playing with ten men after Niklas Stark’s red card. Ten Hag’s only home league match ended in a 2-1 defeat by Hoffenheim on the opening weekend, with Jarell Quansah scoring an early opener before the visitors turned the game around. A 4-0 win over fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossaspach in the DFB-Pokal first round was his sole victory.
Chief executive Fernando Carro said in a statement: “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary. We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it’s a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again.”
Managing director Simon Rolfes added: “This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”
Ten Hag’s tenure was also marked by significant squad turnover. Key players such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Granit Xhaka were sold, while Jonathan Tah and Lukas Hradecky ended long-term stays. Leverkusen spent £150m on new signings including Jarell Quansah from Liverpool, Mark Flekken from Brentford, and Malik Tillman from PSV, with an average age of 22. Ten Hag, 55, is the third former Manchester United manager to be sacked in a week, following Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Besiktas and José Mourinho at Fenerbahce.
