Erik ten Hag admits Bayer Leverkusen are still working on rebuilding a squad shorn of the likes of Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka, as the start of the 2025/26 season draws ever nearer.
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As well as Wirtz (Liverpool) and Xhaka (Sunderland), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich) and Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool) have also left the BayArena during the summer transfer window.
Ten new faces - including English defender Jarell Quansah, Netherlands international goalkeeper Mark Flekken and USA playmaker Malik Tillman - have been brought in, but Ten Hag says further reinforcements are needed.
"We will have to build a new era. We know that it will take time to build a completely new team. We will work on that," the Dutchman, who replaced 2023/24 double-winning head coach Xabi Alonso at the end of May, explained.
"The first outlines are visible, and we now need to build on them. There are still many weaknesses. We need to strengthen certain positions in order to achieve our goal of finishing in the top four."
Watch: Jarell Quansah on starting out at Leverkusen
When asked specifically about Xhaka’s recent move to the English Premier League, Ten Hag elaborated on the struggles the club is facing on the transfer front.
"That's how it works in top-level football: lots of players leave and lots of players arrive. You can't prevent that. That's just the way it is," admitted the ex-Ajax and Manchester United tactician.
"It's best if four or five players don't leave during a transfer window because then it becomes much more difficult to continue the process - but it has to be done."
The 55-year-old was also very clear on what the club must do during the remainder of the window: "Four to five players still need to be added".
After a 5-1 defeat to Flamengo's U20s, Ten Hag has overseen pre-season friendly wins over Bochum and Fortuna Sittard. - IMAGO/Marco Bader
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Although Ten Hag is keen for new additions, he will at least be relieved that star striker Patrik Schick has committed his future to the club.
On Monday, the Czechia international - who scored 21 Bundesliga goals last season - signed a new deal through to summer 2030.
Leverkusen have two more pre-season friendlies against Pisa and Chelsea to come, before their domestic campaign begins with a trip to fourth-tier Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB Cup first round on 15 August. The 2024/25 Bundesliga runners-up face Hoffenheim in their league opener a week later.