Bayer Leverkusen have parted ways with manager Erik Ten Hag after just two Bundesliga matches in charge, the club confirmed on Monday.
Ten Hag, who was dismissed by Manchester United in October 2024, joined Leverkusen in July as the successor to Xabi Alonso, who left for Real Madrid. His tenure, however, ends abruptly after just eight weeks.
“This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. “The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective.” Club CEO Fernando Carro described the move as “painful, but necessary.”
The sacking sets an unwanted Bundesliga record, with Ten Hag now the coach dismissed earliest in a league season after only two matches, breaking the previous record of five.
Taking over after Leverkusen’s most successful campaign an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023–24, including their first-ever Bundesliga title Ten Hag faced a massive rebuild. The club lost several key players this summer, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, and Lukas Hradecky.
Despite investing over €102m in new arrivals including club-record signings Malik Tilmann, Jarell Quansah, and Eliesse Ben Seghir results failed to match expectations. Leverkusen opened their Bundesliga campaign with a 2-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim before conceding two late goals in a 3-3 draw with 10-man Werder Bremen.
Ten Hag’s reign began poorly with a 5-1 friendly loss to Flamengo’s U20 side in Brazil, though his team cruised past Sonnenhof Grossaspach 4-0 in the German Cup.
For now, assistant coaches will oversee training until a permanent replacement is named.
