Leverkusen hire Kasper Hjulmand after Ten Hag dismissal

Bayer Leverkusen moved quickly to fill a sudden vacancy at the top of their dugout on Monday, naming former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand as head coach after the club dismissed Erik ten Hag on September 1 following a chaotic start to the season. The club said Hjulmand, who is in his early 50s, signed a two year contract through 2027 and will take charge in time for Friday's Bundesliga meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Leverkusen announced that negotiations were concluded in just over 24 hours as the club sought to stabilise a squad rocked by a turbulent summer and an abrupt managerial change. Ten Hag’s tenure lasted three matches in all, including a DFB-Pokal victory, one league draw and one league defeat, a short spell that the Dutch coach publicly criticised. In a statement via his agency, SEG Football, Ten Hag said he was not given the time or trust to implement his vision, calling the decision to part ways after only a handful of games unprecedented.

Hjulmand arrives with international and prior Bundesliga experience. He resigned as Denmark coach last summer after a round-of-16 exit to Germany at Euro 2024 and had previously managed Mainz briefly in 2014-15. With Denmark he...