Erik Ten Hag holds the unwanted record of breaking the previous mark for a five-game coach before firing.
Released on September 1, 2025
Bayer Leberkusen fired manager Eric Ten Hagg after two league matches.
Leverkusen lost Hofenheim’s opening Bundesliga game 2-1 at home, quickly putting 10 hugs under pressure, ending Saturday’s 3-3 draw against 10 Bremen in a short reign at the club.
“This decision wasn’t easy for us. No one wanted to take this step,” Leverkusen sports director Simon Rolfs said in a statement Monday.
“However, over the past few weeks it has been shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is ineffective.”
Ten Hag, which had abolished management after Manchester United plundered in October, replaced Xabi Alonso in May after the Spaniards left to take over in Real Madrid.
Leverkusen finished second in the league last season after Alonso led him to a double in the 2023-2024 campaign, where Alonso unlocked his first Bundesliga title without losing the game.
Ten Hag’s task of emulating Alonso’s successful spells at the club became even more difficult with the coming season departures of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Jonathan Tah and Granit Xhaka.
His Leverkusen career began with a 4-0 victory at the fourth-tier Sonnenhof Grossaspach in the first round of the German Cup, but the club has already scored five points from leader Bayern Munich, and in the Champions League campaign, Ten Hag has already exhausted time.
“The separation of roads in this early stages of the season is painful, but I felt it was necessary,” said Fernando Caro, CEO of Leverkusen.
“We are still committed to achieving our season’s goals, and we need the best possible conditions at every level and at the entire first team.”
Ten Hag is not just the former Manchester United manager who has recently lost his job. Jose Mourinho and All Gunner Solskal split up with Turkish clubs Fennavafe and Besiktas, respectively.
The 55-year-old Dutchman was responsible for Ajax Amsterdam’s most successful spell, winning three league titles, winning the FA Cup and League Cup at Manchester United, and was fired at Club 14 in Premier League standings.
