Two of the four flights landed at Alicante airport at eight in the morning and the late comers arrived at the team hotel at 11 o'clock. They were greeted in the lobby by Julian Baumgartlinger, Jonathan Tah and Co. while Aránguiz, Bailey, Alario and Wendell 'only' had their flights to deal with, the rest of the Werkself players had been busy in the hotel gym. The fitness coaches had organised a strength and stabilisation session in the morning. The players worked in the gym in two groups.
While most of the players were given the chance to recover after the gym session, Exequiel Palacios had his first meeting with the media. In an interview with journalists on the terrace of the La Manga Club Resort, with a view of the palms and the bay of La Manga, he patiently answered the numerous questions of the travelling members of the media. The Argentinian revealed his first impressions: "I had a great reception from the team and I'm very happy to be here – in spite of the language barrier. It was a bit much having to try remember all the names on the first day. But I really liked the communal meal and time in the rooms and it was even better in the training session." Further news will be on tomorrow on bayer04.de
The new signing showed what he could do in the first training sessions. And that drew praise from a World Cup winner: "You can see straight away he has very quick speed of execution and good orientation on the pitch," said sporting managing director Rudi Völler about Palacios who is now just known as 'Pala' by his team-mates. "It's good to have top players like that – particularly when you're in three competitions."
In the afternoon, the ball was centre of attention. The focus in the second training session the day, on the pitch at La Manga at 16.00 CET, was on the shooting, challenges and positional play. While Bailey, Alario and Wendell were able to get fully involved after the warm-up, Aránguiz had to drop out as the Chilean was suffering with muscular problems. Karim Bellarabi is doing better today. The 29-year-old was suffering from tonsillitis yesterday but was able to take part in training again today.
The Bender twins know how each other play on the pitch but with 'Who am I?' it was Sven Bender who was barking up the wrong tree. In the new YouTube format, two players have to guess, with the help of ingenious questions, the character defined for each other. The Bender brothers were first up and they can be seen on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 2-1 at TSG Hoffenheim on the 3rd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
Show more
Starting with the 2026/27 season, Bayer 04 has created a permanent memorial space at the BayArena. In the upper section of Block A in the southeast corner of the stadium, Werkself fans can honour friends and family members with whom they have shared many special moments connected to Bayer 04. In the coming months, this space will be gradually expanded, in particular with the active support of the fans.
Show more
Bayer 04 has secured a new premium partner in DXC Technology, a leading provider of enterprise technology and innovation. The club has agreed a partnership with DXC running until 30 June 2028. At the heart of the partnership is DXC’s role as an AI integration partner. The company is integrating Bayer 04’s previously separate digital systems into a unified fan journey that begins long before matchday and extends well beyond the stadium visit. As a partner of the women’s team and main sponsor of #B04eSports, DXC will be supporting two promising sections of the club during this period. DXC will also gain significant visibility as the sleeve partner of the women’s team in the DFB Pokal.
Show more
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have secured a new premium partner in the form of DRIVIO. DRIVIO, already part of the club’s partner portfolio as a reliable car subscription partner for Bayer 04, will continue to support the club in this capacity and, with immediate effect, also join the premium group of companies that cooperate closely with the Werkself. The premium and car subscription partnership between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and DRIVIO will initially run until 30 June 2027.
Show more
“Welcome home” was the message from a visually emotional fan in the direction of Moussa Diaby after Wednesday’s open training session. The French winger had just appeared on the BayArena training ground for the first time in three years following his return to Bayer 04. And before he took time for selfies and autographs, Diaby spoke to the media. Fellow new arrival Guéla Doué was also in action but not with the team for now.
Show more
