Rudi Völler on...
...the signing of Kerem Demirbay and the retention of Kai Havertz:
"I said it to the coach again today: It would have been impossible to have made the decisions about Demirbay and Havertz a couple of years ago. The fact we have been able to hold on to the best player Germany has produced in the past few years and we have not become weaker, is a sign that we don't want to just bring young players through."
...further transfer activity:
"We made the most important decisions a few weeks ago. Everything we're doing now is fine tuning. Where can we improve? Where can bring in new players? We'll still do something. We want to make the squad a bit better. At the same time, I won't lose any sleep if we don't do any more business – given the squad we have now."
...dominoes:
"In Germany, there is always the feeling you have do do all you can in the transfer market as soon as possible. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge explained it well. Once the first domino has fallen, the top stars move on and that gets things going. With Griezmann, a big domino has definitely fallen so let's see what happens in the next few weeks. The main thing is there is a young player at Bayer Leverkusen who won't fall over. He stays upright."
...rotation:
"We are in three competitions again and we want to go as far as possible in the cup competitions. That's why we want to give the coach the opportunity to rotate. But it has to be right. There will soon be trouble if the squad is too big."
...targets for the coming season:
"Of course, we have ambitious targets. We want to qualify for the Champions League again. But you can't forget that there are four or five other teams behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, who both want to be champions, that want to be in the Champions League. But we have the ambition to do it again. But everything has to be in place. As was the case in the second half of last season."
...the DFB Cup:
"The cup is the competition you can win quickest. It is possible. But we can't afford to play like we did at Heidenheim last season. Of course, the desire is certainly there and the last time we were in the cup final was in 2009 against Werder Bremen. The atmosphere in Berlin is exceptional. And the sporting level was evident this year. Bayern against Leipzig was a great final. Leipzig competed on equal terms."
...the departure of Julian Brandt:
"In Julian Brandt we have lost a wonderful player. Even though we have received good money for him – if you think about what we spent on him five and a half years ago – I would have liked to hold on to him. But we have clearly shown with our transfers that we are prepared for departures and that Bayer 04 Leverkusen always carries on.
...Brandt's successor as the number 10:
"That position is made for Kai Havertz. He's a natural number ten. He's the biggest talent in that position for the past ten years."
...the future of Aránguiz:
"Charlie Aránguiz will not leave us in this transfer window. I don't get the impression he wants to go to England. If there is home sickness then a move to South America may be on the cards. Let's wait and see what happens. We've had good talks with his agent. We can be optimistic. I definitely hope that we can keep hold of him beyond the summer of 2020.
After Jens Nowotny was officially named a Bayer 04 honorary captain last weekend, the long-standing Werkself player is part of the Leverkusen delegation on the trophy tour to New York City next week from 11 to 14 September. In an interview with bayer04.de, the 50-year-old talked about his expectations ahead of the trip to the metropolis on the East Coast of the USA.
Show moreThe German Football League (DFL) has confirmed the dates and kick-off times for matchdays 6 to 12 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. Full details of the Bayer 04 fixtures.
Show moreMarkus Rehm, a long jumper at TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, won the gold medal for the fourth time in succession at the Paralympics on Wednesday.
Show moreThe fixture details for the second round of the DFB Pokal 2024/25 have been confirmed. The home tie for Bayer 04 against second division SV 07 Elversberg is on Tuesday, 29 October with the kick off at 18.00 CET (live on Sky). That was announced by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday.
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