Leverkusen Sack Ten Hag After Just Two League Games

Sports

Bayer Leverkusen have dismissed manager Erik ten Hag after only two Bundesliga matches in charge, with Saturday’s 3-3 draw against 10-man Werder Bremen proving insufficient to secure his future.

Ten Hag’s tenure began poorly with a 2-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim, immediately placing him under scrutiny. The Dutchman’s position was confirmed untenable on Monday following the draw at Bremen, leaving the club five points adrift of early leaders Bayern Munich.

“This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step,” Sporting Director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. “However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this set-up is not feasible.”

Ten Hag, who had been out of work since his dismissal from Manchester United in October, was appointed in May to succeed Xabi Alonso after the Spaniard departed for Real Madrid. Alonso had guided Leverkusen to a historic double in 2023/24, including their first Bundesliga title without defeat.

However, Ten Hag faced a far greater challenge following the departures of key players such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Jonathan Tah and Granit Xhaka during the summer. Despite opening with a 4-0 win over Sonnenhof Grossaspach in the German Cup, his reign faltered immediately in the league.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro admitted the move was difficult but necessary. “A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary,” Carro said. “We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season – and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team.”

Ten Hag’s dismissal comes as part of a wider trend, with fellow former Manchester United managers José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also losing jobs recently in Turkey with Fenerbahce and Besiktas, respectively.

The 55-year-old Dutchman previously enjoyed his most successful spell at Ajax, where he won three league titles, before adding an FA Cup and League Cup during his Manchester United stint.