Bundesliga January 2026 Transfer Primers | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | OneFootball

The next of our 18 Bundesliga transfer primers to be published here on Get German Football News covers Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The first of two non 50+1 clubs to undergo what Germans term an “XXL Umbruch” this summer enters the winter break in a surprisingly strong position. So too, for that matter, does the other one. Both Leverkusen and RB Leipzig have spent their way back into top four contention. There’s a bit more credit due this particular club, however.

The B04 managerial team made perhaps the best executive decision of the current Bundesliga campaign when he opted to terminate Erik ten Hag just two match-days into the season. Leverkusen read the “tea leaves” on the trainer Englanders call “tea bags” perfectly. Ten Hag’s personality didn’t jive with this club’s rebuilding project. Kasper Hjulmand’s personality….well…perhaps that’s just what needed: Someone without much of a personality.

Simon Rolfes and Fernando Carro have long enjoyed reputations as highly competent footballing executives within German footballing circles. The former Rudi Vôller protégées simply know what they’re doing. Old “Tante Käthe” taught them well. The new member of the team – professional footballing director Kim Falkenberg also did a bang up job with the summer re-stock. One can easily see this team finishing as the “Vize-Meister” this year. 

Returning to “Vizekusen” counts as a success!

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Apologies are in order. 

They did better than expected.

Winter Predictions Check, Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Predicted Table Position – 5th place

Actual Table Position – 3rd place, 29 points

(9-W, 2-D, 4-L)

(+13 G-Diff)

It remains true that Leverkusen’s Bundesliga record owes much to simply taking points off of team’s it needed to. The fact that Hjulmand’s team beat back their direct table rivals Leipzig convincingly at the end of the year still counts as a profound statement. So too does the fact that, just days after losing to Dortmund in the league, Hjulmand’s red company team dumped BVB out of the Pokal. 

The recovery trend in the Champions League was also massive. It took quite a bit for the squad to bounce back from the humiliation of the PSG defeat to ultimately best Man City and draw Newcastle. Apart from that little inexplicable blip against the congenitally inexplicable Augsburg in the league a few weeks back, 2025 concluded about as strong as it could have for die Werkself.

With Stuttgart and Hamburg waiting before the Hin-Runde concludes, Bayer can reasonably hope to pull six more points before the season reaches its halfway mark. They’re also strongly positioned to make the UCL knockouts and punch through to the semis of the Pokal. This club can buy just about anything….except a new developmental campus it appears.

Autumn Transfer Assessment, Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Estimated Summer Transfer Balance = +€30m

That above number happens to be a fairly lowball estimate. It’s generally difficult to work out how much of the estimated €300m in 2025 transfer inlays remained in Westphalia. The B04 front office is also notorious for pulling super slick accounting tricks, like the one inherent in this summer’s Matej Kovar deal for example. In any event, this company club doesn’t need to worry about finances. Such is life when one is literally bankrolled by hundreds of billions in liquidity if need be. 

Interesting enough, a Dutch addition specifically recruited to work with ten Hag ended up being the best newcomer of the season. Ernest Poku furnished the best returns until recently running out of steam and then bowing out with injury. Pretty much everyone else – excepting Moroccan international Eliesse Ben Seghir and early loan recall Claudio Echeverri – qualify as hits. Loïc Badé and Jarell Quansah slotted in very well at the back. So too did Axel Tape before getting hurt.

Lucas Vasquez and Ezequiel Fernandez have been largely capable when called upon. Current AFCON representatives Christian Kofane and Ibrahim Maza elevated themselves to household names this year and are just getting started. Bundesliga veteran Mark Flekken is back in the Bundesrepublik picking up man-of-the-match honors across all three competitions. MSV Duisburg’s famed former “water boy” is also second to only Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel among regular No. 1s in terms of save percentage. 

Have we forgotten anyone? Oh that’s right. The author owes Malik Tillman an apology. The young German-American caught some flak in the pre-season column even though he had been injured throughout much of camp. In truth, the author always liked him and the manner in which both Tillman has refined his game during the years abroad is commendable. The now 23-year-old looks much more confident and can work well in a variety of tactical roles. The unexpected USMNT-switch is fully forgiven.

Dead Weight Ledger and Expiring Contracts, Bayer 04 Leverkusen

A team with this many players contesting AFCON shouldn’t be necessarily be thinking about dead-weight at all. That notwithstanding, it would behoove the team to take advantage of the outside interest in little-utilized defenders Arthur and Jeanuël Belocian. Gladbach and some other unnamed Bundesliga clubs are reported to be interested in the latter. Squeezed-out attackers Nathan Tella and Martin Terrier have also been linked with moves away. Terrier’s recent revival and “scorpion kick” masterclass now nevertheless likely means that he’s staying.

Dead-Weight Ledger = Jeanuël Belocian (CB), Arthur (RWB), Nathan Tella (RW) Alejo Sarco (CF)

No first team players possess contracts due to expire at the end of the season. Leverkusen U19 and Champions League squad member Montrell Culbreath only gets a mention below as he recently made his first team debut, scoring in his very first Bundesliga appearance. Good lad. The 18-year-old German-American deserves a professional deal, and potential some pitch time alongside Malik Tillman. The native Pfälzer also came up through the young academy of the author’s beloved 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Culbreath was getting a mention here one way or another. 

Expiring Contracts  = Montrell Culbreath (RW)

Further Needs and Rumored Links, Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Basically, none of the “needs” listed below are particularly exigent. Moreover, essentially all of the “rumored links” revolve around longer term prospects. Carro, Rolfes, and Falkenberg have more than earned an extended vacation should they choose to take one this January. Of course, they won’t be taking it. More signings will come in as they stack this team for the future. One senses that – just as was the case with Ibrahim Maza this past offseason – Leverkusen will snatch up the best 2. Bundesliga prospects: In this case Hertha’s Kenneth Eichhorn and Bochum’s Cajetan Lenz.

The author finds the rumors of Julian Brandt returning wonderfully salacious. 

Would be fabulous if that happens. 

Further Needs = CB, ADM, ATTM, LW, AM, SS

Rumored Links = Quentin Timber (CB), Chibuike Nwaiwu (CB), Cajetan Lenz (DM), Kennet Eichhorn (DM), Gédéon Mongo (DM), Mateusz Bogusz (ATTM), Julian Brandt (ATTM), Harry Howell (ATTM), Edvin Austbø (LW) 

GGFN | Peter Weis