Erik ten Hag’s stint at Bayer Leverkusen ended abruptly after just three games.
The Dutch coach was dismissed Monday amid growing doubts about his ability to guide the German club through a post-summer rebuild following the departure of several key players.
“This decision wasn’t easy for us,” Leverkusen sports director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. “Nobody wanted to take this step. But the last few weeks showed that building a new and successful team with this setup could not be achieved effectively. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything in our power to take the next steps in our development with a new constellation.”
Leverkusen lost 2-1 at home in Ten Hag’s Bundesliga debut against Hoffenheim, then squandered a two-goal lead to allow 10-man Werder Bremen to salvage a 3-3 draw on Saturday.
Kicker magazine had reported Thursday, before that second league game, that Leverkusen’s management was having second thoughts about Ten Hag’s work.
“A parting at an early stage of the season is painful, but it was necessary from our point of view,” Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro said.
The 55-year-old Ten Hag was appointed in May as Xabi Alonso’s replacement and was tasked with managing a major overhaul of the squad that had won the Bundesliga in 2024.
Ten Hag warned earlier this month that he was no magician and that it would take time to get Leverkusen performing as a cohesive team again after a summer of changes.
“You can’t force the process. It’s impossible. No one is like Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said before his debut against fourth-tier team Sonnenhof Großaspach in the German Cup.
Leverkusen ultimately won that game 4-0, but struggled, scoring only after Grossaspach had a player sent off and adding two more after another red card.
Ten Hag had previously used the Harry Potter analogy during his time at Manchester United.
Following a loss to Liverpool in September 2024, he said he was no Harry Potter while explaining the difficulties of relying on players who had limited game time. Less than two months later, he was fired.
Leverkusen has given no indication of a possible successor for Ten Hag. The team’s next game after the international break is at home against in-form Eintracht Frankfurt on Sept. 12.
Content Source: www.dailysabah.com