Bayer Leverkusen trusted in Erik ten Hag the difficult task of continuing Xabi Alonso's successful stint at the German club, after the Spaniard was convinced by Real Madrid to succeed Carlo Ancelotti. But the Dutch manager, fired from Manchester United last season, has already been sacked from Leverkusen too. After only three games, and two Bundesliga games...
The club has announced it on Monday, after a 3-3 draw on Saturday (Werner managed the tie in the 94th minute) and a 1-2 defeat against Hoffenheim in their debut Bundesliga game, which seriously compromise their chances of standing up against Bayern Munich. Ten Hag's only victory was a 4-0 against fourth division club SG in first round of the DFB-Pokal in mid-August.
"A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary. We remain committed to achieving our goals for the season - and to do that, we need the best possible conditions at all levels and across the entire first team. Now it's a matter of fully implementing and utilising these conditions again", said club CEO Fernando Carro.
"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", added Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen managing director. "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"
Erik ten Hag was fired "on the recommendation of the management" and decided by the shareholders' committee, said the club in a statement where they didn't even thanked Ten Hag for his short work at the club.