Ten Hag sacked by Leverkusen after just two Bundesliga games

Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen two weeks into the Bundesliga season.

The Dutch head coach joined the club this summer, replacing Xabi Alonso, and got off to a winning start after defeating Grossaspach in the DFB-Pokal.

However, their league campaign started with a 2-1 loss at home to Hoffenheim, followed by a 3-3 draw against 10-man Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Leverkusen failed to hold onto a 3-1 lead against Bremen, mounting early pressure on the Ten Hag ahead of the international break.

The 55-year-old was sacked by Manchester United last October, with his role at Leverkusen his first job since his departure from the Premier League.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen has parted ways with head coach Erik ten Hag with immediate effect.

Training will be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being. pic.twitter.com/aKrEtySB46

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) September 1, 2025

Leverkusen’s managing sporting director, Simon Rolfes, said: “This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step.

“However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible.

“We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”

Ten Hag oversaw an overhaul of Leverkusen’s squad this summer after the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka left the club.

On Sunday, Leverkusen announced the signing of Eliesse Ben Seghir for €35m, which is their 16th signing of the transfer window.