Erik ten Hag Appointed Bayer Leverkusen Head Coach on Two-Year Deal, Replacing Xabi Alonso

Erik ten Hag has been officially appointed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, succeeding Xabi Alonso, who is set to take over at Real Madrid on 1 June 2025 . The Dutch manager has signed a contract running until June 2027 and will assume his role on 1 July 2025 .

Ten Hag, aged 55, returns to management following his departure from Manchester United in October 2024. During his tenure at United, he secured the FA Cup and League Cup, although his time concluded amid a challenging league campaign . Prior to that, he achieved significant success with Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and leading the team to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 2018–19 season .

Leverkusen's Sporting Director, Simon Rolfes, expressed confidence in Ten Hag's appointment, highlighting his impressive track record and alignment with the club's philosophy of dominant, technical football . Ten Hag inherits a team that, under Alonso, secured a historic Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal victory in the 2023–24 season, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year dominance .

With his extensive experience and commitment to developing young talent, Ten Hag is poised to build upon Leverkusen's recent successes as they aim for continued excellence in domestic and European competitions.