Bayer Leverkusen Sack Erik ten Hag After Just Three Games

Bayer Leverkusen Sack Erik ten Hag After Just Three Games

Bayer Leverkusen’s bold experiment with Erik ten Hag has ended almost as quickly as it began. Just three Bundesliga matches into his tenure, the German club announced on Monday that the Dutch coach had been dismissed—marking a stunningly swift end to a project that was supposed to usher in a new era after Xabi Alonso’s celebrated departure.
Ten Hag, 55, arrived in May with a two-year contract, tasked with rebuilding a Leverkusen side that had lost several key players during the summer transfer window. His appointment came just seven months after he was sacked by Manchester United in October 2024, despite delivering the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
In Germany, however, Ten Hag’s reign never found footing. He lost his first home match, and Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen—where Leverkusen conceded two late goals—proved to be the final straw. With Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella, Nigeria internationals, among the squad’s brightest hopes, Leverkusen had expected a sharper start under the former Ajax boss.
“Bayer 04 Leverkusen have parted ways with head coach Erik ten Hag,” the club confirmed in a statement. “This was decided by the shareholders’ committee on the recommendation of management. Training will be overseen by the current backroom staff on an interim basis.”
Simon Rolfes, the club’s managing director of sport, admitted that Ten Hag struggled to adapt to Leverkusen’s transitional phase.
“This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” Rolfes said. “However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”
Club CEO Fernando Carro also assured fans that the setback will not derail Leverkusen’s ambitions:
“We remain fully committed to our goals this season. Our supporters can be confident that the club is united in its determination to move forward strongly under a new coach.”
For Ten Hag, the dismissal adds another sharp turn in a once-rising career. After making his name at Ajax, where he led the club to the 2019 Champions League semi-final and multiple Eredivisie titles, his move to Manchester United was billed as a chance to restore Old Trafford’s glory. While he delivered silverware, his tenure was marred by internal discord, underwhelming league finishes, and the inability to implement a long-term vision.
Now in Germany, his stay has proven even shorter. Football analysts have been quick to react. German sports daily Kicker described the sacking as “a sign of impatience from a club caught between transition and expectation.” Former United defender Rio Ferdinand was blunt on TNT Sports:
“It’s been tough for Erik ten Hag. He had pressure in Manchester, and in Leverkusen he didn’t even get the time to settle. But that’s football—results speak, and in Germany they can be even less forgiving.”
Remarkably, Ten Hag’s dismissal makes him the third ex-Manchester United manager to be sacked in the space of a week, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and José Mourinho’s exits from their respective jobs. It underscores the volatility of football management at the highest level, where reputations can be quickly undone by poor starts.
For Leverkusen, the search for Alonso’s true successor resumes, with fans eager to see stability restored. For Ten Hag, the question looms larger: can he rediscover the spark that once made him one of Europe’s most coveted coaches, or has his recent string of dismissals marked the beginning of a decline?
As German media outlets debate his legacy, one theme recurs: in modern football, history counts for little without results.