DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Erik ten Hag said he was as stunned as the rest of the soccer world when Bayer Leverkusen fired him after three games in charge in an “unprecedented” move on Monday.
The former Manchester United manager was tasked with rebuilding Leverkusen after an exodus of key players since Bundesliga-winning coach Xabi Alonso's departure for Real Madrid.
It soon fell apart.
Discontent was clear as Ten Hag questioned club decisions in the transfer market, while players squabbled over who would take a penalty in his third and final game.
“The decision by Bayer Leverkusen’s management this morning to put me on a leave of absence came as a complete surprise. To part ways with a coach after just two league matches is unprecedented,” Ten Hag said in a statement released by his agency.
Ten Hag argued he needed more time to make the rebuild work.
“I started this job with full conviction and energy, but unfortunately the management was not willing to grant me the time and trust I needed, which I deeply regret. I feel this was never a relationship based on mutual trust."
Ten Hag's task was to integrate a raft of new players including American forward Malik Tillman — more new signings continued on Sunday and Monday — after stars from Leverkusen's 2023-24 title-winning season like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka all left.
There were signs of trouble before the season when Ten Hag spoke out publicly against Xhaka leaving, only for Leverkusen to allow the midfielder to join Sunderland anyway. Ten Hag's first friendly in July was a 5-1 loss to the youth team of Brazilian club Flamengo, a jarring result even if it wasn't a competitive game.
Leverkusen was beaten by Hoffenheim 2-1 at home in Ten Hag’s Bundesliga debut — it proved to be his only home game — then squandered a two-goal lead to allow 10-man Werder Bremen to draw 3-3 on Saturday.
Comments from captain Robert Andrich after that game questioned his teammates' commitment and teamwork, while Ten Hag fumed at an “unacceptable” on-field dispute over who'd take a penalty, saying his players treated his instructions as up for debate. “There has to be clarity,” he said.
Ten Hag's only other game was a 4-0 German Cup win over a fourth-division team.
“This decision wasn’t easy for us,” Leverkusen sports director Simon Rolfes said in a statement. "Nobody wanted to take this step. But the last few weeks showed that building a new and successful team with this set-up could not be achieved effectively. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything in our power to take the next steps in our development with a new constellation.”
Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro said, “A parting at an early stage of the season is painful, but it was necessary from our point of view.”
The 55-year-old Ten Hag was appointed as Alonso’s replacement in May and entrusted with managing a massive overhaul of the squad that won the Bundesliga in 2024.
Ten Hag warned he was no magician and that it would take time to get Leverkusen performing as a true team again. “You can’t force the process. It’s impossible. No one is like Harry Potter,” Ten Hag said last month.
Ten Hag previously used the Harry Potter line in his time at United. Following a loss to Liverpool in September 2024, Ten Hag said he was no Harry Potter while explaining the difficulties of relying on players who hadn’t much game time. Less than two months later, he was fired.
Leverkusen gave no indication of a possible successor for Ten Hag. The team's next game after the international break is on Sept. 12 at home against in-form Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Fahey contributed from Berlin.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Ellingworth And Ciaran Fahey, The Associated Press
