Islamabad, Aug 16, 2025: Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag has urged fans not to expect immediate success in the forthcoming season urging them to keep their cool as they gear towards SG vs Leverkusen game in the new season. The Dutch boss later came in following the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid and he took over a team that was lagging far behind Bayern Munich in 2024-25.
Leverkusen, last year crowned Bundesliga champions under Alonso, have dropped to second 13 points behind Bayern over the course of the 2023-24 leagues, and suffered a Champions League round of 16 defeat by Bayern. Such important men as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Odilon Kossounou, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah contributed to that mass exodus, with more than 200m euros paid as transfer fees.
The club recruited Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Ibrahim Maza, Ernest Poku and goalkeeper Mark Flekken in order to rebuild. Ten Hag demands fans to allow the team time to settle and comments: “Harry Potter does not exist, man. Developing a team takes time and cannot be hustled.” He said real progress would need to be expected by later in spring 2026.
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With last season ending with a DFB-Pokal tie at Sonnenhof Grossaspach, where Andrich was crowned captain in the absence of Hradecky, the former returned as the captain in the 2025-26 season kick-off. Ten Hag said of Andrich: He was born a leader, and he made an impression during pre-season. The manager remains firm that hard work and patience is a must in case SG vs Leverkusen will translate success in the months coming.
