September 9 – Former Denmark national team manager Kasper Hjulmand will succeed Erik Ten Hag as head coach of German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Following a year out of management, Hjulmand returns to German domestic football for a second stint – he briefly led Mainz during the 2014-15 season – signing a contract until 2027 in the process.
“I have always seen Bayer 04 as a very well-managed, well-structured and highly ambitious club,” said Hjulmand in a statement. “This impression has been confirmed in recent days.
“It’s an honour to be entrusted with a team like this. After outstanding successes in the past, I am very motivated by the task of shaping the future of Bayer 04 Leverkusen with both proven and exciting new players.”
He will replace Dutchman Ten Hag, who was dismissed after just three matches in charge. Ten Hag had succeeded Xabi Alonso, who led Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2023-24, but his attempt to rebuild the team, after an exodus including Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka, flopped.
Hjulmand will debut at home against Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday and the club will be looking at their manager to bring stability.
The Dane won plaudits as a national coach, leading Denmark to the last four at EURO 2021, a tournament that was marked by Christian Eriksen’s collapse on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark’s group-stage match against Finland.
Hjulmand has enjoyed a strong reputation ever since, even if his relationship with national team fans soured as Denmark disappointed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and at EURO 2024 in Germany.
Fernando Carro, CEO of Leverkusen said: “In addition to his strong technical ability as a coach, Kasper Hjulmand’s principles of team leadership also impressed us. A newly assembled team like ours, which is capable of development, needs clear guidelines and will benefit from Kasper’s transparent, communicative and empathetic style.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]