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Erik Ten Hag’s stint as Bayer Leverkusen manager has come to an abrupt end, with the Bundesliga champions dismissing him after just two league games in charge. The Dutchman, who succeeded Xabi Alonso following his move to Real Madrid, departs less than two months into the job. “This decision was not easy for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. He added, “The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective.” Club CEO Fernando Carro admitted the move was tough but unavoidable. “The decision was painful, but necessary,” he said, as quoted by AFP. The dismissal makes Ten Hag, 55, the coach to be fired the earliest in a Bundesliga season, surpassing the previous mark of five matches. Ten Hag, appointed on July 1, oversaw just three games in total. After a routine 4-0 German Cup win over Sonnenhof Grossaspach, Leverkusen struggled in the league. They lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim after leading early and then squandered a two-goal cushion against ten-man Werder Bremen to draw 3-3. His first outing, a friendly against Flamengo’s under-20 side in Brazil, had ended in a 5-1 defeat. Leverkusen had entered the season amid major upheaval, with several key players from last year’s double-winning squad departing, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Jonathan Tah. The club invested heavily in replacements, with summer signings Malik Tilmann, Jarell Quansah and Eliesse Ben Seghir arriving for over €100 million combined. Despite the backing, results failed to materialize, prompting Leverkusen to act swiftly. The club confirmed that training will be handled by assistant coaches until a permanent successor is announced.
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For Ten Hag, the setback comes less than a year after being dismissed by Manchester United in October 2024, despite winning both the FA Cup and League Cup during his tenure.
