On Monday, September 1, Bayer Leverkusen sacked their manager Erik ten Hag with immediate effect after just two Bundesliga matches in charge of their first team. The German club made the decision to fire
the 55-year-old after giving him the managerial role in the summer following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season on a two-year contract, which saw them part ways with Xabi Alonso, who took up the job at his former club Real Madrid.
In a shocking turn of events, Erik ten Hag is third former Manchester United manager to get fired from a managerial role within the space of a few days at the start of the new 2025-26 season. After Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got dismissed by Besiktas on Thursday, August 28, just a day later, their fellow Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce dismissed Jose Mourinho from the managerial role as well.
Erik ten Hag is the fastest to get sacked as manager in Bundesliga
Erik ten Hag now holds the record of fastest to get sacked as manager in Bundesliga, beating the previous best record of five matches in the league. In his two matches in charge, the former German champions lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim on the opening weekend before conceding two late goals to draw 3-3 at Werder Bremen, earning only a point in the process.
Moreover, in the first round of the German Cup earlier last month, Bayer Leverkusen defeated fourth tier side SG Sonnenhof Grossaspach 4-0, which turned out to be the only victory for Erik ten Hag as the manager of the club. Simon Rolfes, the managing director sport at Bayer Leverkusen said the following about the Dutchman’s sudden departure, “This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step.”
“However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup,” he added.
