Former Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag has been appointed the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, signing a two-year contract to succeed Xabi Alonso, who recently took over at Real Madrid.
The 55-year-old Dutchman, who officially begins his new role on 1 July 2025, takes charge of a Leverkusen side that finished second in the Bundesliga.
It will be Ten Hag’s first managerial post since his October departure from Manchester United, where he spent just over two years.
During his time at Old Trafford, he guided the Red Devils to the League Cup in 2023 and FA Cup in 2024, but was dismissed with the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League.
Speaking on the appointment, Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes praised ten Hag’s coaching pedigree:
“With Erik ten Hag, we have brought in an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch.”
“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.”
Ten Hag, who rose to prominence with Ajax, leading them to multiple Eredivisie titles and a memorable run to the 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, expressed enthusiasm for his next challenge.
“Leverkusen are one of the best clubs in Germany and also among the top clubs in Europe,” said ten Hag.
“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 move ends weeks of speculation about Ten Hag’s next destination as Bayer Leverkusen’s intent to remain competitive domestically and in Europe following Alonso’s departure.
