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Agence France-Presse

Associated Press

Bayer Leverkusen have sacked manager Erik Ten Hag after just two Bundesliga matches in charge, the club announced on Monday.
Fired by Manchester United last October, Ten Hag joined Leverkusen as the successor to Xabi Alonso, who moved to Real Madrid.
“This decision was not easy for us; nobody wanted to take this step,” sporting director Simon Rolfes said in a statement.
“The past few weeks have shown that the steps to build a new and successful team have not been effective.”
Club CEO Fernando Carro said the decision was “painful, but necessary”.

The sacking means the 55-year-old Dutchman now has the unwanted record of being the coach to be fired earliest in a Bundesliga season, breaking the previous mark of five matches.
Named United manager in July 2022, Ten Hag won the FA and League Cups but was let go after a run of just one win in eight matches midway through the 2024-25 season, the club’s worst start to a campaign in the Premier League era.
Taking over after the most successful period in Leverkusen’s history, with an unbeaten league and cup double in 2023-24 including the first Bundesliga title in the club’s 120-year history, Ten Hag was tasked with overseeing a dramatic rebuild.
Leverkusen lost several core members of the team this summer, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli and Lukas Hradecky.
The club did not name a replacement for Ten Hag, saying the “training work would be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being”.
Named Leverkusen manager on July 1, Ten Hag’s first match in charge was a 5-1 drubbing by Flamengo’s under-20 team in a friendly in Brazil.
After a 4-0 win over fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossaspach in their German Cup opener, Leverkusen claimed one point from their first two Bundesliga fixtures.
Leverkusen let a one-goal lead slip to lose 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim and on Saturday conceded two late goals against a 10-man Werder Bremen to draw 3-3, having led 2-0 and 3-1.
On Sunday, German outlets Bild and Kicker both reported that Ten Hag was facing the sack, despite his short tenure at the club.
Ten Hag was tasked with bedding in more than a dozen new signings ahead of this season, including several young players.
The three most expensive signings in the club’s history – Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah and Eliesse Ben Seghir – all arrived this summer for a combined cost of €102 million (US$120 million) plus bonuses.
Ten Hag warned earlier this month that he was no magician and that it would take time to get Leverkusen performing as a true team again after its summer of changes.

“You can’t force the process. It’s impossible. No one is like Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said before his debut at Grossaspach.
Leverkusen may have won that game 4-0, but they struggled and got the second goal only after Grossaspach had a player sent off, then the next two after the amateur side had another player sent off.
Ten Hag had previously used the Harry Potter line during his time at United.
Following a loss to Liverpool in September 2024, Ten Hag said he was no Harry Potter while explaining the difficulties of relying on players who did not have much game time. Less than two months later, he was fired.
Leverkusen gave no indication of a possible successor for Ten Hag. The team’s next game after the international break is at home against in-form Eintracht Frankfurt on September 12.


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German Bundesliga

Erik ten Hag took over from Xavi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen after the most successful period in the club’s history, but earned only one point from their opening two games. Photo: EPA

Erik Ten Hag talking to his Leverkusen players during their 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen. Photo: AFP

Ten Hag (right) with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes after their FA Cup win last year. Photo: AP

Ex-Man United bosses Solskjaer, Mourinho sacked hours apart, bookmakers say Amorim next

Jose Mourinho was sacked by Fenerbahce following their failure to reach the league phase of the Champions League. Photo: Reuters

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was unable to prevent Besiktas’ Conference League elimination. Photo: AP

Supporters certain Fan Zhendong ‘will be back’ after losses in German table tennis league

Fan Zhendong (right) of 1. FC Saarbruecken faced TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt’s Romain Ruiz in the first match on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Fan Zhendong lost 3-2 to France’s Romain Ruiz in the opening match of the tie. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Football

The Dutchman, who was fired by the English club in October, now has the record of being the coach fired earliest in a Bundesliga season


The Dutchman, who was fired by the English club in October, now has the record of being the coach fired earliest in a Bundesliga season.


English Premier League