Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag takes charge at Bayer Leverkusen
By Rebecca Johnson, PA
Erik ten Hag has been appointed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga club have announced.
The former Manchester United manager has signed a contract running until June 30, 2027 to take charge of the team following the departure of Xabi Alonso, who was confirmed as the new Real Madrid boss on Sunday.
Ten Hag was Ajax manager before taking charge of United in April 2022 and during his time at Old Trafford he won the League Cup in 2023 and FA Cup in 2024.
However, following months of speculation about his future at Old Trafford with results and performances under close scrutiny, a poor start to the 2024/25 season saw him sacked at the end of October.
Speaking about his new appointment, Ten Hag told the Leverkusen website: “Bayer are one of the best clubs in Germany and also among the top clubs in Europe.
“The club offers outstanding conditions, I’ve been very impressed with the discussions of the management. I’ve come to Leverkusen to continue with the ambition shown in recent years.
“It’s an attractive challenge to set up something together in this period of change and develop an ambitious team.”
The 55-year-old Dutchman takes over Leverkusen following a hugely successful spell under Spaniard Alonso, who led the club to the 2023/24 Bundesliga title without losing a game as part of a league and cup double.
This season Leverkusen finished runners-up in the Bundesliga, 13 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
Ten Hag had previous managerial experience at Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II and Utrecht before taking charge of Ajax in January 2018, where he oversaw three Eredivisie title triumphs before leaving for Old Trafford.
Leverkusen sporting managing director Simon Rolfes added: “With Erik ten Hag we have brought in an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch. His six title wins at Ajax were exceptional.
“With three league titles and two domestic cup wins he and Ajax dominated Dutch football from 2018 to 2022. And Erik demonstrated his quality as a coach with the ensuing success at Manchester United under difficult circumstances at times.
“Our ideas of football coincide. With technically demanding and dominant football, we want to carry on in the Werkself style and aim for the highest targets in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League.”
Ten Hag will officially start in his new role on July 1.