Leverkusen opened the season with a 2-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim, followed by a dramatic 3-3 draw away at Werder Bremen, where they surrendered a two-goal lead against ten men and conceded a 94th-minute equalizer. Ten Hag’s only victory came in a 4-0 German Cup win over fourth-tier SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach.
Club executives cited the inability to build a cohesive, successful squad amid a turbulent summer. Key players including Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong departed for Liverpool, while Granit Xhaka joined Sunderland, Jonathan Tah moved to Bayern Munich, and Lukas Hradecky signed with Monaco. Despite significant investment—over £150m spent on new arrivals such as Jarell Quansah, Mark Flekken, Malik Tillman, and Eliesse Ben Seghir—the team failed to gel, and internal disputes, such as on-field disagreements over penalty takers, reflected a lack of unity and leadership.
Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro stated, “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary.” Managing director Simon Rolfes echoed that the decision “was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible.”
Ten Hag, 55, had previously managed Manchester United and Bayern Munich’s B team. His dismissal makes him the third former United manager to be sacked in the same week, following Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Besiktas) and José Mourinho (Fenerbahce).
Leverkusen, the reigning Bundesliga champions and Champions League participants, will be led by their assistant coaching staff until a permanent replacement is found. Their next fixture is at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on September 12. The club remains committed to its season objectives, aiming to stabilize quickly after this historic managerial change.