Erik ten Hag Takes Over As Bayer Leverkusen Head Coach After Xabi Alonso’s Departure

‎Bayer Leverkusen, the former Bundesliga champions, have officially announced Erik ten Hag as their new manager.

‎Ten Hag signed a two-year contract with Bayer Leverkusen, succeeding the popular Xabi Alonso. Alonso, the former midfielder, left the club after winning a domestic double in the 2023/24 season.

‎He also set a European record by going 51 games unbeaten.

‎The 56-year-old Dutchman had been unemployed since November 2024, when he was dismissed from Manchester United following a difficult start to the season. During his two years at Manchester, Ten Hag secured the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

‎Before managing in England, Ten Hag achieved great success with Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles, two domestic cups, and one Johan Cruyff Shield in his four-and-a-half years there.

‎He is also well-known for leading Ajax to the semi-finals of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League.

‎The team narrowly missed reaching the final after Lucas Moura’s dramatic 96th-minute winner.

‎Exceptional Manager

‎”With Erik ten Hag, we rely on an experienced coach with an impressive sporting track record,” said Bayer Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes on the club website.

‎”His six titles with Ajax Amsterdam were exceptional. With three championships and two cup wins, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football unchallenged from 2018 to 2022.

‎”And Erik also proved his class as a coach with his subsequent successes with Manchester United under sometimes difficult conditions.”

‎After Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich’s second team, FC Utrecht, Ajax, and Manchester United, the Leverkusen job will be his sixth in the past 13 years.

‎”Bayer 04 is one of the best clubs in Germany and is also part of the European elite. The club offers excellent conditions and I was very impressed by the talks I had with the people in charge,” said Ten Hag.

‎”I came to Leverkusen to confirm the ambitions that have grown over the past few years. It is an exciting task to build something together in this phase of upheaval and to develop an ambitious team.”