Bayer Leverkusen have officially announced the appointment of former Denmark national team manager Kasper Hjulmand as their new head coach. The two parties have signed a contract until June 30, 2027.
Hjulmand, who led Denmark to the UEFA Euro 2021 semi-finals as a breakout contender, succeeds Erik ten Hag as the club's second manager of the 2025-26 season. Ten Hag was dismissed in September 2025 after a turbulent two-month tenure, during which Leverkusen suffered early-season setbacks in the Bundesliga.
The official statement reads:
Kasper Hjulmand is the new head coach at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Bayer 04 have signed the Dane, who has a contract to 30 June 2027, as the successor to Erik ten Hag. Hjulmand was most recently coach of the Danish national team. In 2021, he and his team reached the semi-finals of the European Championships, where the Danes narrowly lost to England in extra time. Following the 2-0 defeat against Germany in the Round of 16 at EURO 2024, Hjulmand resigned from his position as Denmark coach after four years. He was head coach at Mainz 05 in the 2014/15 Bundesliga campaign.
"We are delighted to have brought in Kasper Hjulmand, whose work we have followed closely over a long period of time," explained Bayer 04 managing director sport Simon Rolfes. “His assistant coach with Denmark, Ismael Camenforte, also worked for us for several years. Kasper even recommended Ismael to us at the time. As a result, his training methods are well known to us at the club and Kasper also knows our club very well from the last few years. He will now work with our team to re-establish a clear and proactive style of play. Kasper is the right man to develop our new Werkself side into a top team that will strive to achieve the most ambitious national and international goals.”
Fernando Carro, CEO of Bayer 04, added: "In addition to his strong technical ability as a coach, Kasper Hjulmand's principles of team leadership also impressed us. A newly assembled team like ours, which is capable of development, needs clear guidelines and will benefit from Kasper's transparent, communicative and empathetic style," says Carro.
Hjulmand is looking forward to his future role at Bayer with great excitement: “I have always perceived Bayer 04 as a very well-run, well-structured, and highly ambitious club. This impression has been strengthened over the past few days,” explains the 53-year-old. “It is an honour to be entrusted with such a team. After outstanding successes in the past, I am very motivated by the task of shaping the future of Bayer 04 Leverkusen with both proven and exciting new players.
