It's been a busy transfer window for former Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen so far and with several important outgoings - Florian Wirtz to Liverpool chief among them - an ambitious rebuild has begun that is exciting all connected with the Werkself, not least lead architect Simon Rolfes.
Advertisement
It was always bound to be a summer of big changes at the 2023/24 Bundesliga and DFB Cup double winners after head coach Xabi Alonso and Jonathan Tah announced they would be leaving the Rhineland at the end of last season. Wirtz followed suit, sealing a well-publicised move to Liverpool and the English Premier League.
Speaking to Sport Bild, Leverkusen's sporting director Rolfes said that accepting the outgoings meant embracing a new and exciting dawn at the club, who have become recognised as European powerhouses in recent times.
"When an up-and-coming star leaves us now, he's going to the absolute world's elite; that is what has changed with [the Wirtz move] in particular," Rolfes explained. "Five years ago, a player who left us wanted to make it into Europe's top 16. We now sit 13th in the UEFA rankings," the 43-year-old continued.
Florian Wirtz left Leverkusen for Liverpool as a club legend. - IMAGO/Malte Ossowski / SVEN SIMON
Reaffirming the club's ambitions despite the departures of several big names, Rolfes continued: "The goal is to use the transfer fee from Florian to build the next title-winning team. Our aim is to always be among the top four in the league and to be in a position to win titles. We want to sign players who will help us immediately with their quality and who also have the potential to develop."
Indeed, to that end, Leverkusen wish to, "... sign players whose quality will immediately strengthen us, but at the same time have the potential to develop," Rolfes added.
Following similar sales of high-profile players in recent years, such as Germany international Kai Havertz, Frenchman Moussa Diaby and, more recently, Dutch speedster Jeremie Frimpong, Leverkusen's best and brightest would – according to Rolfes – only leave the club for "... the final step on the road to the very top", adding: "The players can grow with us, but we also grow with the players."
With the confirmation of Jarrell Quansah’s signing from Liverpool, Leverkusen can now boast six new faces this summer. In addition to the U21 European Championship winner with England, Bayer 04 have added veteran custodian and Netherlands international Mark Flekken (once of Freiburg) alongside a wealth of supremely talented young prospects in Ibrahim Maza, Tim Oermann, Abdoulaye Faye and Axel Tape.
GET THE UPDATES!
Those signings highlight a new era for the club under coach Erik Ten Hag, who steps into big shoes left behind by the cherished double-winner Alonso, and will be eager to commence Leverkusen's bright new dawn at the helm.