New Bayer Leverkusen signing Ernest Poku speaks out on Erik ten Hag sacking | OneFootball

Dutch youth international Ernest Poku is among the new Bayer Leverkusen signings to have spoken out on the surprise sacking of head coach Erik ten Hag. Nearly one week after ten Hag’s sensational dismissal, Poku conducted an interview with Dutch magazine Voetbal International. The 21-year-old was sure to emphasize that he would work hard at his new Bundesliga station irrespective of ten Hag’s absence.

“The fact that Erik ten Hag was coach at Bayer Leverkusen definitely played a big role in my decision to move there,” Poku – as quoted by transfermarkt.de -told the magazine. “It’s my first foray abroad, and I found it amenable to join a club with an entirely Dutch coaching team. Now everything is going a little differently than expected. That’s football.

“Like everyone else, I was shocked at first,” Poku also noted. “I didn’t sense any tension at the club and was just as surprised as everyone else in the Netherlands. Maybe that’s because I don’t follow the German media. I came here with the expectation of not being a regular player right away. I have to work my way up and prove myself.

“I’ll be moving into an apartment with my girlfriend soon,” Poku said of his general acclimation at his new Bundesliga club. “I understand a little German. I was born in Hamburg and lived there until I was six or seven before we moved to Amsterdam. I’m sure everything will work out fine.”

GGFN | Peter Weis