Erik ten Hag has signed a two-year contract to succeed Xabi Alonso as the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
The 54-year-old Dutchman will officially start his new role on July 1.
Ten Hag had a successful stint with Ajax, winning three league titles and two domestic cups from 2018 to 2022. He then joined Manchester United in 2022, winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time at Old Trafford, but was dismissed in October with United 14th in the Premier League.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said Ten Hag is an experienced coach with impressive success on the pitch.
“With three league titles and two domestic cup wins, he and Ajax dominated Dutch football from 2018 to 2022. And Erik demonstrated his quality as a coach with the ensuing success at Manchester United under difficult circumstances at times.”
Under Alonso, Leverkusen won a league and cup double in 2023-24 and finished second in the Bundesliga this season, 13 points behind champions Bayern Munich. Ten Hag expressed his enthusiasm about joining one of Germany’s top clubs, aiming to build on the ambition shown in recent years and develop an ambitious team during this period of change.
“I’ve come to Leverkusen to continue with the ambition shown in recent years,” Ten Hag said. “It’s an attractive challenge to set up something together in this period of change and develop an ambitious team.”
