ten Hag is embarking on a new path to Bayer Leverkusen

 

Erik ten Hag: Unleashing Potential or Courting Disaster at Bayer Leverkusen?

Bayer Leverkusen has just signaled its intent to keep pushing the limits. In late May 2025 the Werkself announced that Erik ten Hag – fresh off a rocky spell in England – will become their new head coach (with a contract through 2027). The Dutchman inherits a side coming off back-to-back title-winning seasons: under Xabi Alonso Leverkusen made history in 2023/24 by becoming the first-ever undefeated Bundesliga champions, then followed that with a second-place finish and a German Cup semifinal in 2024/25. Even with a few trophyless months under his belt, Ten Hag arrives at a club that’s still very much on the rise.
Leverkusen have emerged as one of Germany’s most ambitious projects. After years of near-misses, the team finally broke through to lift both the league and cup in 2023/24 (soundly outpacing perennial juggernaut Bayern Munich). Last season they kept pace for much of the campaign – Bayern still finished ahead (82 points to Leverkusen’s 69) – and only surrendered ground late on. With that winning core largely intact, the club’s management is targeting a sustained challenge at the very top: as sporting director Simon Rolfes put it, Leverkusen’s goal is “to finish among the Bundesliga’s top four for Champions League participation.” In practice that means building on everything Alonso built, and Ten Hag was seen as the man to pick up the baton.
Of course, that squad will look different by August. Captain Jonathan Tah has already confirmed his departure, and Leverkusen’s jewel, creative midfielder Florian Wirtz, is in the shop window – Liverpool are widely reported as favorites for his signature. Wing-back Jeremie Frimpong has similarly been linked to Anfield, while other key players are attracting interest from big clubs abroad. Rolfes himself admitted that “players will always be of interest” after a successful season, and Leverkusen could have its largest-ever transfer budget if it cashes in on some of these stars. In short, Ten Hag steps into a high-pressure situation: he must maintain the team’s upward trajectory even as it potentially morphs into a very different team.

The Ten Hag Blueprint

From the moment he took the podium in Leverkusen, Ten Hag made clear exactly what he wants: wins and style. “I want to win,” he said, but “in a certain way… playing dominant, attractive football to get people excited.” This line could have come straight out of Ten Hag’s Ajax notebooks. During his five years at Ajax (2017–2022), he built sides that swept up three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups, culminating in a thrilling run to the 2018/19 Champions League semifinals. Those Ajax teams were grounded in Johan Cruyff’s Total Football legacy: very high possession, fluid player movement, full-backs bombing forward – in Ten Hag’s words, “possession, movement, vertical attacking patterns… Everyone is attacking, everyone is defending.” Even former players note his mantras: defender Daley Blind recalled Ten Hag telling Ajax in 2019 that they should “play attacking football… without any fear.”
He tried to bring the same principles to Manchester United, where he won two domestic cups but ultimately faltered in the Premier League. In his debut season at Old Trafford he guided United to a League Cup triumph, a third-place finish and an FA Cup final; in year two he delivered another FA Cup but managed only 8th in the league. By October 2024, a dismal start (four defeats in the opening nine games) led to his sacking. Still, those cups were not nothing, and recent chaos under his replacement has in some eyes vindicated Leverkusen’s gamble. As one analysis noted, United’s post-Ten Hag slump has “helped restore [his] reputation” – though he remains the fifth United manager in nine years.
Ten Hag’s philosophical touchstones are clear: high work-rates, pressing from the front, careful build-up from the back and technical precision. He openly cites Pep Guardiola as a mentor, modeling his approach on the “attacking and attractive style” that Guardiola made famous. Rolfes and his Leverkusen board view this as a perfect match. “We’re going for an experienced coach with impressive success,” Rolfes said, highlighting those Ajax honors. He went on to say “our ideas of football are the same. With technically demanding and dominant football, we want to continue… in the Werkself style.” In other words, Leverkusen have already been playing a version of Ten Hag’s preferred system: high lines, aggressive pressing in the opponent’s build-up, and an emphasis on possession against tired defenses late in games. The hope is that Ten Hag will merely take the reins of a car already in motion, rather than having to reinvent the wheel.

Style and Structure: A Perfect—or Perilous—Fit?

On paper, the Ten Hag–Leverkusen pairing checks a lot of boxes. Both parties share a forward-thinking, possession-first philosophy. Rolfes even admitted that he’d tried to sign Ten Hag back in 2021 – the Ajax coach so impressed the club that they earmarked him as Alonso’s eventual successor. And Ten Hag himself noted in his presentation, “Leverkusen are one of the best clubs in Germany and also among the top clubs in Europe,” praising the club’s “outstanding conditions” and ambition. In an ideal world, Ten Hag can nurture Leverkusen’s golden generation—until now, built by everyone from Bayer’s youth scouts to Xabi Alonso himself—to an even higher plane. He’s demonstrated an ability to turn academy prospects into world-beaters (Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch among them), and that bodes well for Leverkusen’s well-stocked academy.
But there are reasons to stay cautious. Ten Hag’s legendary runs at Ajax came with a full support structure (Marc Overmars and Edwin van der Sar in the front office) and Ajax’s biggest budget in history – a luxury he won’t have in the same measure at Leverkusen. Financially, Bayer is prudent; they can’t outspend Bayern or the cash-rich Premier League clubs. Indeed, the club’s next transfer window may see a flurry of departures that both boost the budget and erode the squad. Selling Wirtz, Frimpong or Tah would bring in massive fees, but it would also rob Leverkusen of three of the defining figures of their title-winning era. Ten Hag enters with hefty obligations: maintain Champions League qualification, defend the domestic crown (even if Bayern looms large again), and do it all while potentially molding a largely new team.
Moreover, while Ten Hag speaks fluent German (he coached in Bavaria and even earned the nickname “Mini-Pep” during his Bayern Munich II days), the Bundesliga will test him in ways the Premier League did not. Opponents have already charted Leverkusen’s play, and every foe will bring their best against the defending champions. Maintaining the attacking flair of Alonso’s reign is one thing; fending off counter-attacks is another challenge. He’ll also have to manage superstars carefully. Leverkusen’s frontman Victor Boniface, set-piece specialists like Granit Xhaka, rising winger Exequiel Palacios and the aging yet influential Xhaka are all part of the picture. Integrating or replacing them without disrupting the team’s mojo is a delicate task.

Betting on Ten Hag: Brilliant or Risky?

So is this hiring a stroke of genius or a gamble? It can be argued either way. On the plus side, Leverkusen are bringing in a coach of unquestionable pedigree. Ten Hag has won trophies at nearly every stop, teaches an attractive style, and is capable of instilling discipline and structure. If he reignites that Ajax spark, Leverkusen could keep their upward trajectory and become genuine title contenders. His emphasis on “building a new team” and creating excitement suggests he’s motivated by this fresh start. As he put it, “this is a fantastic process” – hinting that he views the impending squad overhaul as an opportunity, not a setback.
On the downside, Ten Hag’s tenure at Old Trafford raises cautionary flags. At United he often seemed to over-invest faith (and transfer cash) in high-profile Dutch players and struggled with man-management at times. His famously public falling-out with Jadon Sancho, for example, became a symbol of dysfunction in Manchester. Bayer’s hierarchy will be keen to see that this doesn’t repeat; some have suggested Leverkusen might counsel Ten Hag against past missteps as he rebuilds. And history shows that great coaches sometimes stumble on their second big job; success in Amsterdam doesn’t guarantee the same outcomes in a different league.
The ultimate decision will come down to results. Leverkusen have shown they’re willing to think differently (remember, Alonso was a first-time coach when they hired him). With this move, they’re placing their faith in Ten Hag’s vision – a man who says he wants to “continue with the ambition shown in recent years.” The next season or two will reveal if this is a masterstroke. If Ten Hag can keep Bayer playing the same exhilarating football while even adding silverware, it will be hailed as a genius move. If the team falters under the transition, the critics will not hesitate to tag this as one of the boldest gambles gone wrong.
In any case, one thing is clear: the BayArena will be watching closely. The story of Leverkusen’s high-risk, high-reward experiment under Erik ten Hag is just beginning – and football fans across Europe will be keenly watching how it unfolds.