Leverkusen to develop a new winning team, Rolfes says
Bayer Leverkusen still see themselves as a top-four contender in Germany but need some rebuilding after the departure of Florian Wirtz, Jonnathan Tah and coach Xabi Alono, managing director for sport Simon Rolfes has said.
Rolfes told Tuesday's Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger paper it was impossible to simply buy the same quality again because it would require three times their budget.
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Rolfes spoke of a transition period after Leverkusen had famously won the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2024 and the German Cup the same year under Alonso, and came second in the league last term.
"The (new) coach (Erik ten Hag) will have a high level squad but we are also buiding a squad that has room for improvement. It is a departure towards something new," Rolfes said.
He still named top-four status their ambition because "you are able to win titles if you are a top-four team. The German Cup is part of that."
"We must develop a winning team," he said, referring to the rise of Wirtz after the sale of Kai Havertz to Chelsea in 2020.
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"We didn't replace Kai Havertz with a complete player. We could replace Kai with the young Wirtz, the 16-year-old Florian via a years-long development," he said.
Wirtz and full back Jeremie Frimpong have now left for Liverpool, Tah is at Bayern Munich, and Alonso new Real Madrid helmsman.
Leverkusen are said to receive around €140 million ($164 million) for Wirtz, and Rolfes said: "In the end we are all happy with the transfer. Florian with his decision, we with the whole package.
"It is definitely a very, very good step for Florian. It is the right thing to go abroad," he said.
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